Facebook on Thursday announced that its Messenger voice calling and messaging app now has over 900 million monthly active users, up from 800 million in January. On the sidelines, the social juggernaut also announced new features such as Messenger Codes, Usernames, and Links that it is bringing to Messenger to improve the chat experience and remove friction.
Over the years, Facebook has become increasingly focused on messaging clients. While the company already has more than 1 billion monthly active users on WhatsApp, Messenger has also seen some of the fastest growth in the past few months. It has also received interesting features such as M AI, and also the ability to send money to your friends.
The company says that its Messenger Codes, Links and Usernames features will make it easier for users - both customers and businesses - to talk to each other. "Starting today we are taking another step forward in delivering a new solution to the more than 900 million people who use Messenger every month. Phone numbers aren't necessary, and you don't have to be friends on Facebook," the company wrote.
Users will now be able to share links of their Messenger account. Facebook says that it will give users the ability to pick a username (something like this: m.me/[gadgets360]). This will make it easier for two users to connect with each other and start a conversation, Facebook says.
The company is also introducing Messenger Codes for businesses, which they can use to improve their 'discoverability'. A customer can scan the code using their phone's camera and quickly find more information and begin chatting. It is worth noting that Snapchat also offers a similar feature. There's also Messenger greetings, that would appear in a business's message thread. The idea is to quickly welcome new users with a note or something similar.
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