Facebook Integrates Messenger Chat With Instagram Direct Messages

Facebook has announced that it is integrating the Messenger experience into Instagram direct messages, allowing users to enjoy the features of the messaging platform in the primarily photo-sharing app.

In a blog, Instagram's Adam Mosseri and Messenger's Stan Chudnovsky said the integration brings “the best Messenger features to Instagram,” allowing the latter's users to stay connected with their non-Instagram-using family and friends.

Basically, Instagram and Messenger users will be able to message each other without having to download the other app.

The respective apps' heads said that about 100 billion messages are sent each day via Facebook's family of apps, which includes both Instagram and Messenger. About one out of three users, however, sometimes forget where particular message threads or conversations are located. The integration between the two apps will help deal with this problem.

In addition to allowing users to communicate with friends across apps (including via messages or video calls), the integration also allows Instagram users to enjoy Messenger's slew of features, which include the following:

• Vanish Mode: Users can choose to make messages disappear after they are seen or when the chat is closed.
• Watch Together: Users can watch videos with their friends on other platforms during video calls. This includes videos on Facebook Watch, IGTV and more.
• Selfie Stickers: Users can create boomerang stickers with their selfies for use in conversations.
• Chat Colors: Users can customize their chats using fun color gradients.
• Custom Emoji Reactions: Users can create shortcuts to favorite emojis used to react quickly to friends' messages.
• Forwarding: Users can share content with up to five friends or groups across apps.
• Replies: Users will be able to directly reply to specific messages in chats to keep the conversation going.
• Animated Message Effects: Users will be able to use animated send effects to add more life to their conversations.
• Message Controls: Users get to have better control over who can message them directly and who will not be allowed to message them.
• Enhanced Reporting and Blocking Updates: Users will now be able to report full conversations in addition to single messages on Instagram. They will also receive proactive blocking suggestions across the two apps after adding their accounts to the new Accounts Center.

Mosseri and Chudnovsky said Instagram users are free to decide as to whether they'll update to the new Messenger experience or not.

The features are currently being rolled out to Instagram and Messenger users in a few countries around the world and will be released to all countries soon.