Messenger is much more than a mere chat app. Turn yourself into a power user with our best tips and tricks.
Get Off the Phone
While most people use Messenger on their phone, you can also chat on the desktop—without having to keep Facebook.com open all day. Instead, try Messenger.com, where you can enjoy the app's basic functionality in your browser. Alternatively, there is now a desktop app for Windows and Mac, which has all the same features as the mobile app version.
Talk Cross-Platform
Messenger debuted as Facebook Chat in 2008—several years before Facebook spent billions on Instagram and WhatsApp. But now that the social network owns all three services, it's made an effort to merge them together. Now, if you're using Messenger, you can talk with people on Instagram without needing to switch apps. (Look for it on WhatsApp soon.)
To restrict access between the two apps, navigate to Settings > Privacy > Message Delivery. Here, you can choose whether Instagram friends or acquaintances can message you freely via Messenger, if you want to approve them first, or block access completely.
Make Phone and Video Calls
Never use your phone service again because Messenger can make phone and video calls for you, on mobile and the desktop. Just click on the phone icon or the camera icon in any existing chat to give your friend or friends a call. The only requirement is that all parties have an internet connection. Be warned that the service starts up as soon as you touch the button, so be ready!
Send Audio Messages
Instead of a live phone call, you can also send audio messages to your contacts. Just tap the microphone button on mobile to begin record, then use drag and drop to either cancel or send. In the desktop app, you click the + button and select Record a Voice Clip, then either click the X button to delete or the choose send.
Create a Room
In order to compete with group video chat services like Zoom, Facebook introduced Messenger Rooms to give people a place to congregate remotely. Create a room and invite your friends, where you can share your screen, play games, or watch videos together. All Watch Together content is available through Facebook Watch, so you can all view video clips, TV shows, and feature length movies from inside the chat.
These rooms can be left up all the time for anyone to drop in or only open at specific times for gatherings. And thanks to increased integration, this feature works across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.
Encrypted Conversations
If you're looking to share information that you don't want falling into the wrong hands, start a Secret Conversation, which uses the Signal Protocol to set up end-to-end encryption. Encrypting a conversation is optional because end-to-end encryption breaks some features in Messenger, like using it across multiple devices, archiving past conversations, and even sending things like money or animated GIFs.
To send a "secret" message, tap the New Message icon on the top-right of the home screen and tap Secret (iOS) or toggle the secret icon to the on position (Android). In an existing chat, tap the person's name at the top of the screen and select Go to Secret Conversation. Secret conversations will appear in different threads from regular chats in Messenger.
While inside a Secret Conversation, you can also set your messages to expire after a certain amount of time. Tap the stopwatch icon to add an expiration time of 5, 10, or 30 seconds, 1, 5, 10, or 30 minutes, 1, 6, or 12 hours, or up to one day. The clock won't start until they have seen the message. You can also select Off to keep messages visible within the Secret Conversation
Disappearing Messages
f you only want a little extra privacy without getting into encryption, Messenger's newest feature is disappearing messages. Called Vanish Mode in the app, all you have to do is swipe up inside a chat in order to turn on disappearing messages. Now all your messages, videos, and gifs will disappear once you close out of the app. The mode also supports screenshot notifications
Create Stories and Video Messages
Messenger has much of the same functionality as Instagram, meaning you can compose and send video messages within the app. On mobile, tap the camera icon and hold the center icon to record a video. You can also load your clips up with filters and other touches of customization.
Like Facebook and Instagram, you can also create stories—short collections of video and pictures—within the Messenger app. You can view existing stories in the mobile app under People > Stories, then make your own by tapping Add to Story. Otherwise, create content and then choose Your Story as the destination.
Once the story has been published, it will remain visible for 24 hours. You can adju
st settings in order to ensure that only certain people see your story or that it disappears after a certain amount of time.
Poll Your Friends
Getting a group to make a decision can be frustrating, so Messenger lets you poll your friends. Open or start a chat with the group of friends you want to poll. Tap the four-dot (Android) or plus (iOS) icon on the left and tap Polls. Type your question, add choices, and tap Create Poll.
Manage Visibility
If you value your privacy, Messenger has a few features that can help you secure your account, outside of Facebook's own security features. Active Status tells your friends when you're online; a green dot will appear on your profile icon when you're available to chat. If you'd rather not broadcast your status, tap your chat head in the top-left corner, select Active Status and toggle it off. Note that this means you can't see other people's statuses either.
Make Messenger Your SMS App (Android Only)
If you like Facebook Messenger more than your standard text messaging app, you can use it to receive both instant and SMS messages on Android. This means you will be able to receive text messages through the Messenger app, just like if someone was chatting with you. Tap your chat head and select SMS, then toggle the On switch. You can then determine how to app handles text and media messages.
