Facebook Messenger has been a part of our lives for a while and is used for everything from texting new clients to video calling family and for entertainment. Here are the Top 10 Tips and tricks for Facebook Messenger from the experts of pixahive.com that you probably don’t know about in the first instance.
1. Vanishing msgs
If you do not want to delete a whole conversation with someone, but still want to hide what you are going to say to them, you can turn on vanishing messages. This is very useful when talking about things like surprise parties or sharing sensitive information. Say you have a long chat history with a friend, and you need to send them your Account details on a home shared computer.
Turn on vanish mode, and the messages will disappear once they have read them. This way, your data is safe from roving eyes, even on shared accounts and computers.
2. Unsend messages
It’s not only WhatsApp that can unsend messages for everyone. Facebook Messenger has this feature too. When you click on “remove”, you will be asked if you want to ‘remove for you’, or ‘unsend’. Unsending would basically delete the message for all parties involved, while the other option doesn’t delete what the other person received, but deletes the sent message on your end.
If reported, however, these deleted messages are included. This is to simplify people’s lives and not to use illicit activities.
3. Draw on your pictures
When editing pictures before sending them, FB messenger lets you draw on them just like Instagram. You can use the paintbrush to scribble, write, and paint, as you wish. The color palette includes a few specific colors.
You can also add text, stickers, and pre-existing texts to amp up your image.
4. Cross-Platform chatting
Now that Facebook owns Instagram too, you can actually use their cross-platform chatting feature to talk across the platforms. This keeps you from having to constantly shift from one app to another, which can be pretty annoying, especially if you are already doing something on Facebook and don’t want to change the tab or app.
Plus, friends and family who aren’t available on either of the apps can then message you using the other app they do have. To get this feature, ensure that both Facebook and Instagram apps are updated
5. Secret conversation
Want to invite your dad’s long-lost best friend over for a surprise birthday party, but don’t want him to know? Now you can have secret one-on-one conversations with people. Doing this is super easy. You need to do is go into the normal chat rooms, and click on the person you want to talk to.
Next, click on the little ‘i’ button on the left-hand corner that takes you into settings, and click on ‘start secret conversation’. Messenger then immediately opens an alternative chat room that’s encrypted. Once you do that, you can then “move the chat out of sight” and the conversation will be removed from your chat lists too so that even if you share a computer or account, people won’t be able to see it or get notifications.
6. Poll your friends
Getting friends and family to stick to an opinion is truly opening a can of worms. Expecting everyone to unanimously decide on one movie they want to go to can be like asking for world peace. Polling on Facebook messenger takes the guessing out, especially if you have a large group of friends or family.
Mind you, this can only be done over group chats, and not in one-on-one chats. You can create your own options, and add as many as you want, ensuring that everyone’s opinion is taken into account. Then everyone clicks on the option they like best, and you can do with that information whatever you want.
7. Payment options
You can now send money via Facebook messenger. There are multiple options available to send money through- though the options may vary by country. As of now, they have made Visa, Mastercard, and Paypal available. However, please remember that this feature is still being rolled out and not all countries have it.
8. Manage visibility
Most of us have pretty much everyone we have ever met added on Facebook. That includes friends, families, bosses, schoolmates, and more. However, if you want to stay online but not announce to the world that you are available, you can use the visibility toggle. Just go into messenger settings, and switch your visibility off. This will ensure that you only talk to people you want to talk to, and not get roped into random discussions with everyone.
9. Facebook Message Kids
If you are worried about your children’s internet usage, but cannot realistically keep them away from the internet, Facebook message Kids comes to your rescue. This is the FB messenger version that has been developed with children in mind. This amazing technology feature allows special parental controls that allow parents to look over their child’s activities and contacts.
Moreover, the app has games, stickers, and filters that are age-appropriate, and follows the Play families policy that dictates that all content and ads must be appropriate for children. All in all, Facebook Message Kids keeps your kids connected, while helping you be worry-free.
10. Messenger without Facebook
Messenger is a pretty great app to have handy, especially for keeping in touch with people since everyone is available on Facebook. However, some people would rather steer clear of all of the online drama.
Shockingly enough, you can also use the messenger app without logging in or without creating Facebook account. This is because Facebook allows you to sign-up with your phone number too. Chat contacts are pulled from your phone contacts, and you can use messenger without the hassle of maintaining a full-fledged Facebook account.
This is a great feature also for people who aren’t very used to smartphones but still want to be in touch with the world. You can chat, call, send pictures, and even cross messages on Instagram if you have the app.
