Messenger boasts itself for its high privacy. You can be yourself with your family or friends via message, audio call, video chat, or a Messenger Room in this app. But despite their state of the art privacy settings, Messenger continues to improve its security. In fact, it announced new privacy and security features that allow users to get more control of their accounts.
Messenger’s App Lock and Privacy Settings
The new App Lock feature allows you to add another layer of security for your private chats. Also, it helps prevent other people from accessing or infiltrating your Messenger account. This optional feature ensures that if a family member or a friend borrows your phone, they will not access your messages.
App Lock uses your phone’s privacy settings, such as the fingerprint scanner or faces recognition, to unlock the Messenger app. Besides, the new feature will not transmit and store your face or touch ID to Facebook. This new feature is already available on iPhone and iPad. For Android users, the feature will be available in the next few months.
The said feature is accessible in the new Privacy settings section. This Privacy section makes an easier way of accessing settings and features like your stories’ audience, muted stories, and blocked people. App Lock, as well as the Privacy section, makes it possible for you to tailor your app experience in a way that works best for you.
Messenger is popular for giving users more control over their privacy. Now, it is giving users more privacy features, which they can find at a centralized place.
New Feature Coming Soon: Controls For Who Will be Able to Reach You
According to Messenger, it found out that people want more controls when it comes to their calls and inbox. For this reason, the company is working on new controls. This is to let Messenger users decide who can call or chat with them directly. Through the new feature, users can also set who will go to their Messenger’s request folder and who cannot message them at all. The new privacy feature is similar to Instagram’s message controls.
Moreover, Messenger explores some additional ways of protecting users’ safety and privacy whenever someone sends them a message. The company will begin to test similar features to the existing ones on Instagram and Whatsapp, where images on the message request folder are blurred. Through this feature, users will be given a choice whether they want to view the images sent by someone they may not know before replying, blocking, or reporting the sender.
Facebook Messenger Rooms
A few months ago, Facebook also launched Messenger Rooms. This is a new way to join video chats in groups. Unlike the regular video chats that are limited to only eight people, Messenger Rooms allows up to 50 people to join a video chat. This new feature is like a virtual hangout where you can join and say hello.
This new feature was publicized by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a live stream last April. According to him, over 700 million individuals use Messenger and WhatsApp every day to make a call. For this reason, Facebook is doing its best to improve private communication. The company also wants to help people connect with their friends, families, or colleagues through Messenger Rooms.
Messenger Rooms lets 50 people join a group video chat, which Facebook calls a “room.” Through this new feature, you will create a room from Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram Direct, or Portal. After creating a room, then you can open the call to all. Once you already have everyone you need in the call, you can lock it to stop uninvited people from joining. Also, you can remove participants from the call.
Getting Facebook Likes From The Messenger Room
While you are in a Messenger Room, you can use the augmented reality filters of Facebook. This feature will allow you to change your background into a virtual one, while buying real Facebook Likes. Facebook included 360-degree views of exotic locations to your background choices. The company is also working on beauty filters. On top of that, it is also developing filters that could brighten a dark room.
The Messenger Rooms feature of Facebook is already available globally in the Facebook Messenger app. For some countries, the feature is going live in the Facebook app.
Moreover, Messenger Rooms will be accessible to all the products of Facebook. This means that you can create a room using either your Messenger, Facebook. WhatsApp, Instagram Direct, and Portal.
Besides, Facebook Messenger Rooms is integrating the ability to do a live broadcast.
What Else is New At Facebook?
Furthermore, Facebook announced that it would release new video updates. For the Facebook app, the company is resurrecting the apps video feature called Live With. This feature lets users invite another Facebook user to stream with them. There will be a donate button for the live stream. This will enable streamers to raise money from broadcasts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Instagram, another social media platform owned by Facebook, users will be allowed to post live streams to IGTV. Instagram Live Streams will also be accessible on the app’s desktop version for app for the first time. Lastly, Facebook Portal users are now permitted to go live to the pages or groups they are joined in.
Conclusion
Facebook is doing all these feature updates simple because alternatives to Messenger and WhatsApp, just like those focused on video chatting, are surging in popularity now. For instance, Zoom, a video calling application, now has more than 300 million users. There is also G Suite, Microsoft 365, Google Meet, as well as Microsoft Teams. All of these platforms make it easier for users to connect with whoever they need to.
The point is the new video chatting applications created stiff competition for Facebook. So, the company needs to keep up if it wants to remain at the top of its game.
