Facebook simplifies Messenger app

MANILA, Philippines — Social media company Facebook will roll out a new and simplified version of its Messenger application.

Facebook vice president for Messenger Stan Chudnovsky said the new app version, called Messenger 4, aims to deliver the closeness and authenticity that users are asking for “through simplicity of design and powerful features that put the focus back on messaging and connecting.”

He cited a recent study that revealed seven in 10 people chose simplicity as the top priority for them in a messaging app.

To address this, Chudnovsky said the new Messenger will only have three tabs instead of nine: chats, people and discover.

“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,” Chudnovsky said.

“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,” he added.

Facebook said it will also make the application more personal by allowing users to customize more content.

“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,” said Chudnovsky.

Other features expected to be rolled out include the Dark Mode and a re-skinned interface that cuts down glare from the phone. 

The company said it will retain many of the current Messenger features, including polls, sharing of live locations, in-app games and group video chat.