Also, it introduced changing chat themes, disappearing messages, boomerang-like stickers, and a range of privacy settings to control cross-platform messaging.
Facebook Lets Users Chat Across Instagram and Messenger
While users thinking it’s growing innovative and offering fun features, Facebook is strengthening its market dominance by locking users within its space. The company’s announcements yesterday and today make it more clear that it’s framing an environment where users find no better reason to switch to another social platform. As announced, users on Instagram will be prompted with an update to access its new range of features, where they can chat with not just their friends on Instagram, but on Facebook too. This applies vice versa since Facebook added this cross-platform messaging support to Messenger too. While it’s not merging the inboxes, it’s just giving users an option to have these chats side by side. Also, they can be turned off if desired from the Privacy Controls in Instagram and Account Center on Facebook. Besides, Facebook also announced new chat features to Instagram like changing the chat theme, disappearing messages, replying to specific messages in group chats, reacting with any emoji. It also lets users watch videos together, Reels in Instagram and Facebook Watch on Facebook. Also, it’s extending the reporting of messages from just a single message to the whole conversation. Facebook said that users can forward messages to upto 5 people or group chats, and decide who can reach their chatbox. All these will be rolling to everyone soon, starting with few countries initially.
