Users’ ability to access their Messenger inbox using Facebook’s mobile app is currently being tested.
While the firm searches for methods to integrate messaging tools into the platform over the next year, Facebook CEO Tom Alison said on Tuesday that the company will shortly expand the test.
“Ultimately, we want it to be straightforward and convenient for people to connect and share, whether in the Messenger app or directly within Facebook,” Alison wrote in a blog post.
Facebook said in 2014 that it would be deleting its in-app messaging features, forcing users to download Messenger to view their messages.
In order to enable cross-app communication, Meta has been trying to integrate messaging on Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Users of the apps Instagram and Messenger can already chat with one another.
While Facebook attempts to compete with TikTok, which enables users to share videos and chat via built-in direct messaging, the company has decided to bring back in-app messaging.
On Facebook, reels
In the face of competition from other platforms, Meta staked its future on the short-form video feature Reels.
Facebook revealed last week that Reels will now last 90 seconds and feature new artistic tools. A few months prior, Instagram, which is owned by Meta, increased Reels’ duration on its site to 90 seconds.
