Starting today, Facebook rolls out a new, simplified version of Messenger: Messenger 4 and will be gradually rolled out globally over the coming weeks. Facebook’s Head of Messenger, Stan Chudnovsky explained that “In a recent Messenger study, 7 out of 10 (71%) people told us simplicity is the top priority for them in a messaging app. Among people surveyed who are messaging more frequently, 62% say messaging makes them feel closer to their friends. We believe Messenger 4 delivers the closeness and authenticity that you’ve been asking for — through simplicity of design and powerful features that put the focus back on messaging and connecting.”
Simple: Easier to Navigate
To make it easier to find the features you care about, the new Messenger will have three tabs instead of nine. Your conversations — both one-to-one and groups — are front and center in the Chats tab. For hundreds of millions of people every day who share pictures and videos, Messenger 4 will have visual communication features like Camera at the top so you can easily capture and share your selfies.
Once you tap into Messenger 4’s People tab, you can find friends, catch up on people’s Stories, and see everyone who is active right now. Then you have the Discover tab, where you can connect with businesses to get the latest deals, play Instant Games, book your next vacation, follow the news and more.
Powerful: New Ways to Personalize Conversations
We know people love to use Messenger to express themselves with custom nicknames, emojis and chat colors. That’s why Messenger 4 has another way to personalize your conversations with a small but delightful update to chat customizations called color gradients. With this feature, you can now use multiple colors to customize your chat bubbles in conversations. You can see the colors change from red to blue, for example, as you scroll up and down a conversation. Color gradients can be changed any time to reflect your mood or topic of conversation.
https://www.facebook.com/messenger/videos/530927714000238/
Familiar: Keeps What You Know and Love
While Messenger 4 is all about simpler and easier-to-use messaging, we’re still keeping all of the features that help you connect with the people you care about. Whether you want to poll your friends on which movie to see, split the bill for last night’s dinner, share your live location to find friends at a music festival, challenge them to your favorite games, or catch up in a group video chat, we aren’t changing anything about what you’ve always loved about Messenger.
Personal: Created With You in Mind
It can take time to get used to changes in an app you rely on every day, which is why we’re rolling out Messenger 4 in phases. We have a handful of new features we’re planning to introduce in the near future, like Dark Mode, a re-skinned interface that cuts down on the glare from your phone. So take your time, settle in, and we’ll be back with more soon.
