Facebook rolls out new messaging features on Instagram and Messenger

 

Facebook launches three new features for Instagram and Messenger that make connecting with people on social platforms more exciting, a blog post said Wednesday.

- Watch Together: The function allows users to watch TV shows and movies in real-time through a video chat.

- Chat topics, such as tie-dye and love, so that users can personalize their conversations.

- Disappearing mode: make viewed messages disappear after leaving a chat thread.

The first feature, Watch Together, is available now.

Once a user updates their app, on Instagram, he and his friends can tune in to IGTV, Reels, TV shows, Movies, and trending videos in real-time via video chat.

"We also bring two new shows," Post Malone's Celebrity World Pong League "and" Here for It With Avani Gregg, "exclusively for Messenger and Instagram via Watch Together," the post read.

How to watch the programs?

Start a video chat on Instagram or Messenger or create a Messenger Room.

In an Instagram video chat, tap the media button at the bottom right and select the "TV & Movies" tab.

In a Messenger video chat, swipe up to access the menu, select Watch Together, and then select the "TV & Movies" tab.

From there, you can select various videos and other content, including the Avani and Post programs.

"The second feature is chat topics like tie-dye and love, so you can personalize your conversations," the post read, adding: "And we are adding a special chat topic on Messenger and Instagram with TinyTAN, a group of adorable characters created from the seven members of BTS.

Once a user is upgraded to the new experience, they will be able to activate the TinyTAN chat theme on Instagram and Messenger.

"Express your affection with emojis, share your favorite songs from the new album or customize the reactions of your messages for your perfect chat with the theme of TinyTAN," it read.

You can activate the TinyTAN chat theme on Instagram and Messenger in your chat settings by tapping Theme and selecting TinyTAN.

The third feature, Disappearing Mode, is coming soon and will make viewed messages disappear after leaving a chat thread.

Sometimes a message is spontaneous, something you want to share at the moment without worrying about it sticking around.

Now you can send memes, GIFs, or reactions to share what you really think but cannot always say, without it remaining in your chat history.

To activate it, simply swipe up on an existing chat thread and it will be in disappear mode. Swipe up again and you'll be back to your usual chat.

The disappearing feature is available to Messenger users in the US, and will be rolled out in European countries soon, Facebook said, adding that on Instagram, it will be available soon.

Watch Together and chat themes are just two of ten new messaging features, including stickers, custom emoji reactions, animated message effects, and message controls, now available globally to anyone who chooses to upgrade to the new experience of Messenger on Instagram.