Facebook Messenger Beta gets Data Saver Option.

You may agree Facebook Messenger has become a full-featured service, but all these capabilities can actually take a toll on your data consumption. Regular texting isn’t a big deal, but a data consumption increases once you start receiving images, video and more. That is exactly what Facebook thought about and it is now testing a data saver mode in its Messenger after a successful run on its main app.

Beta users of Facebook Messenger are seeing a new option in the settings, allowing them to enable Data Saver mode. There seem to be no compression methods or anything of the like. Instead, this mode will stop Facebook Messenger from automatically downloading photos and video; users will have to tap to download these. When connected to WiFi, the application will continue to work as always.

Those unsure about how efficient this feature is can see how much data has been saved, which is right below the option to turn on Data Saver and which can be reset as well.

Earlier this month, Facebook had rolled out an option to enable end-to-end encryption on Messenger conversations. This update provided similar user privacy as available on the company's WhatsApp messaging service and was introduced to provide additional privacy to Messenger users. However, unlike WhatsApp, Messenger users are required to manually choose end-to-end encryption for every new conversation.

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Facebook updates Messenger with mobile web interaction, payments and more

Facebook has introduced the Messenger Platform 1.2, with updates that create a richer platform for businesses to interact with customers through chatbots. Advertisers will get the ability to divert users to Messenger through News Feed advertisements. The feature will be rolled out over the next month to all advertisers around the world. The same features available for current advertisements, including targeting at demographics and choosing delivery times, will be available.

Users can browse modified mobile versions of the site through messenger itself. Some portions of the web sites can be delivered within the conversation, depending on the context. Payments are integrated with messages, and users can use Messenger as a shopping platform now. The feature is available to only select partners as of now, and only in the United States. The payments feature is currently in the Beta testing phase.

A broader rollout of the feature is expected by the end of the year. The current payment mechanism is a little clunky in terms of UI and number of steps involved, which is expected to be streamlined in the future.

Users can now share chatbots, or messages from chatbots to their contacts. Contacts will receive an icon that allows them to start chatting with a shared bot. Messages such as news or a shopping option can also be shared to friends through a share button that is attached to a message. These features are aimed at making it easier to discover chatbots.

Developers of chatbots can now configure a landing screen, that gives some background information about the chatbot, so users have an idea of what to expect.

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Facebook Messenger Gets a Hidden Football Game to Celebrate Euro 2016

In tribute to the UEFA Euro 2016 championship, Facebook has introduced a new football (aka soccer) game hidden as an Easter egg inside its Messenger app. Called Keepy Up, users need to enter the football emoji to start the game.

To activate the game, you need to be running the latest version of Facebook Messenger for Android or iOS. Then, just send the football emoji in any conversation inside the Facebook Messenger app. Tap on the emoji after sending it, and Messenger opens the game up automatically. The challenge is to keep the football from touching the ground. The game keeps your best score intact for the next time you use the emoji and want to replay.

The interface is simple, with the ball bouncing about the white screen, more vigorously as the level advances. Users can easily exit the game, and back to their conversation whenever they feel like. There's no pausing the game though, you'll have to end it to continue chatting.

Facebook had done a similar trick in March with its Messenger Basketball game. It got activated in the same way, but needed the basketball emoji for starting it. Facebook also claimed that the game had received 300 million plays in just one week.

Facebook Messenger for Android recently also announced SMS support. The Android app now supports SMS messaging bringing voice chats, emojis, and location sharing to SMS messaging. The chat service recently also introduced as many as 1,500 new emojis into the app. Several emojis dedicated to women in different roles were also included. Notably, it even standardised emojis on all of its platforms.

The new game is being rolled out globally to all users. The update should have hit the App Store and Google Play in your region, but if it hasn't, it will soon.

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