Facebook Messenger

Facebook is the quintessential social network, but you may not always feel like being social every time you log in to your Facebook account. Whether it's because you don't have the energy or the time to engage with friends, you do have the option to browse Facebook without anyone knowing you're online. The way to achieve this is by turning off your "Active Status," which can be done within...

Facebook Messenger claims to be a secure platform for private communications, but the truth is that regular conversations conducted through the app are not end-to-end encrypted, which puts your sensitive information at considerable risk. End-to-end encryption ensures that only you and the person you're communicating with can read or listen to what is sent, and nobody in between, not even...

After previously only existing as an "Easter Egg" setting, Facebook in April 2019 added a Dark Mode theme as an official display feature of its standalone Messenger app. Facebook says that Dark Mode is designed to provide less harsh brightness in situations where ambient lighting is lower while maintaining contrast and vibrancy. If you have an OLED iPhone, such as an iPhone X, iPhone XS,...

Facebook Messenger today was updated to version 79.0, bringing with it the debut of new Peek and Pop gestures within the messaging client. On the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, users will now be able to try out the pressure sensitive abilities of 3D Touch to more easily navigate through the app. Within each conversation thread, 3D Touch allows for quick previews of any links or contacts posted...

Facebook has announced that it will begin rolling out optional end-to-end encryption within its Messenger app for iOS and Android on a limited test basis, ahead of the option becoming more widely available through early September. Messenger users will be able to create one-to-one "Secret Conversations" in Messenger that will be end-to-end encrypted and which can only be read on one device of ...

Facebook has announced a raft of new features for its Messenger Platform to help developers increase chatbot capabilities and enhance user engagement and interaction. The update includes dynamic buttons for quick user replies, customer account linking for businesses, wider support for content types like video and audio, and user ratings and feedback. Facebook has also announced an updated ...

Facebook has included a secret soccer game in the latest update to its Messenger app to celebrate Euro 2016 and Copa America. To play the game, called "Keepy Up", update the iOS Messenger app and send a friend a soccer ball emoji, then tap the emoji in the chat thread to launch the game, the aim of which is to keep the ball in the air. The game can be started again using the same emoji in ...

Facebook has announced that it is adding 1,500 new emojis to its Messenger app in order to cater for the diversity of its users. The new emojis follow Apple's bulk addition of new emoji characters to iOS last year, but Facebook claims that Messenger is the first platform to feature a female police officer, runner, pedestrian, surfer, and swimmer, and notes that more are to come in the near...

Facebook is planning to introduce an optional end-to-end encryption mode for its Facebook Messenger chat platform, currently used by more than 900 million people, reports The Guardian. Citing sources "close to the project," The Guardian says the encryption will be an opt-in feature because turning it on will impact some of the new machine learning features being built into the Messenger app...

Holiday booking service Skyscanner has announced a chat bot that enables users to book their vacation and search for holiday inspiration from within Facebook Messenger. The conversation bot's main function is to search for flights on request and redirect users to the Skyscanner website to confirm their booking and complete payment. Users can also ask the bot to search for holiday...

Facebook has announced a new feature coming to its standalone Messenger app that will let users start up group calls with up to 50 friends and family members. Rolling out now to the iOS and Android Messenger apps, the update will use previously established group chats within Facebook's messaging client as a springboard for starting a voice call with the group's members (via TechCrunch). Users...

Facebook Messenger for iOS is gaining native Dropbox integration for the first time, allowing users to share any file stored in their Dropbox account without having to leave the app. Tapping the More button in the popular messenger app now displays Dropbox as an available source. So long as the Dropbox app is installed on the device and an account is linked to it, users can share photos,...

Facebook is planning to provide developers with toolkits for customer service chatbots and live chat APIs, according to a few sources that spoke with TechCrunch. The company will debut the new features at Facebook's F8 conference next week, following in line with a host of recent institutions getting behind chatbot support. Facebook's intentions are to connect its users with businesses via...

Facebook released a new feature today for its iOS Messenger app that allows users to receive booked flight information updates. The instant messaging service's first 'airline bot' enables KLM Royal Dutch Airlines customers who have booked tickets through the airlines' website to have all their flight information delivered to a dedicated thread within the app. The bot is designed to...

A couple of popular iOS apps have been getting updates for 3D Touch over the past few days, introducing the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus feature into experiences like Facebook Messenger, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, and Evernote. Most recently, Facebook Messenger updated its iOS app with 3D Touch, letting users choose from a quick-select menu and jump directly into a message thread with...

Facebook today rolled out a new virtual assistant called "M" inside its Messenger app for a limited number of users in the Bay Area, reports Wired. "M" is powered by both artificial intelligence and Facebook employees, enabling Messenger users to ask questions and complete tasks such as making restaurant reservations, ordering birthday flowers or discovering the best places to go hiking in...

At today's F8 Facebook Developer Conference, Facebook debuted its new Messenger Platform, a major update to the Messenger service that allows users to send content like GIFs, photos, videos, and more from third-party apps within the Facebook Messenger app for iOS. Beginning today, iOS app developers can build Facebook Messenger support into their apps, making them directly accessible within...

Facebook today announced a new feature for its Facebook Messenger app for iOS -- money transfers. It's now possible for Facebook Messenger users to send and receive money right within the app, letting Facebook compete with other money sending services like Venmo and Paypal. The new money sending feature is free to use. Sending a friend a payment can be done by tapping the "$" icon located on...

Facebook today began testing a new feature on its Messenger service, automatically transcribing voice messages sent through the service directly into text. Announced by the Facebook's VP of Messaging David Marcus on his Facebook page, the update is meant to be more helpful for people who enjoy sending and receiving voice messages but find themselves in situations such as a meeting where audio...