Facebook has begun the merging of its chat systems across Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram, allowing users on each platform to communicate with users on another platform.
As previously announced by the social networking giant, some users can now see a new pop-up promoting a “New Way to Message on Instagram,” explaining that users will be able to chat with their friends who aren’t on Instagram.
The rollout will include a new look, the ability to react to messages using any emoji, the ability to swipe to reply to messages, and the ability to chat with friends on Instagram who only have a Facebook/Messenger account.
Although the new messaging feature appears to be opt-in, it has been reported by The Verge that everyone will move over to the new messaging system.
Those who “opt-out” will only receive more time before being moved over to the new messaging interface; for those who opt-in, the Instagram messaging icon will transition to the Facebook Messenger icon.
Facebook announced last year that it was planning to merge its popular messaging services together, including Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp.
This appears to be the first major move towards that transition, with WhatsApp set to follow suit later in 2020.
The idea is to make it easier for consumers to chat with their friends and family, but ultimately, it will make it harder for regulators to break up Facebook’s networks by further linking them together.
Will you be taking advantage of this new feature? Let us know and check back for more.
