Facebook Messenger Continues To Add Functionality By Allowing Users To Send And Receive Money, Add Files From Dropbox, And Use Chatbots


Facebook Messenger continues to add many new features in their bid to make their messenger service the most popular messenger in the world. Recently Facebook added KLM, a Dutch airline, to allow customers to get flight information and boarding passes. Customers may also purchase tickets.

The Verge reported that Facebook Messenger can now send and preview Dropbox files. Dropbox was integrated into both the Android and iOS apps for Messenger. Users can find the extension from within the Extensions menu inside the app. It allows users to send files, videos and photos to the person the user is chatting with. Users can preview videos, images and GIFs inline although it’s necessary to leave Dropbox in order to preview any other files.

Since many people send files online, integrating Dropbox with Facebook Messenger is one of the smarter integrations that can be offered by the app. It’s a major time saver for users because it’s not necessary for the user to get the link to the file, test it to make sure it works and then send the link to the person the user is chatting with.

As previously reported in Inquisitr, Facebook is adding both chat bots and a mobile wallet to Messenger so that users can buy products online and get customer service from the companies they are purchasing from. The chat bots allow companies to create simple answers to the most common questions that customers may have before making a purchase.

Facebook is also creating a mobile wallet that is meant to compete with Samsung and Apple. Although the integration will take some time to be added because so much is involved in creating a payment solution, Facebook’s current plans for Messenger are to make it an “Everything App” so that users can replace many of the apps they currently have on their smartphones.

Tech Radar reported that Facebook announced the integration of chat bots at their F8 conference last week. Editors at the conference tested out the use of chat bots within Facebook Messenger by doing a search for the chatbots within the people search of the app. With the new integration, users will find “Bots and Businesses” when searching through people inside the Messenger app.

Although the new feature hasn’t been confirmed to have shown up inside of the Android app, editors at the conference did confirm that the chat bots are available from within the iOS version of Facebook Messenger. The new feature was seen in both the U.S. and U.K. Currently there are no active bots within Facebook Messenger although they will be available soon.

CNET reported that when Facebook separated Facebook Messenger from the main Facebook app, and many users were upset because it meant two different apps, it also meant switching to a different app in order to chat with a friend. The purpose of the change though was to add additional features to the messenger service that included voice calls, chat bots, chess games, and soon a mobile wallet.

The new service inside Facebook Messenger allows users to send money Pay Pal-style. It requires that users on both sides have a debit card, but it’s free to send money. The service offers PIN-based security, as well as industry-leading security to insure that all transactions that users make are safe. Users need to add their debit cards within the messenger app. For Android users, it means adding it within the Profile settings, while iOS users can add their information inside the Settings section.

[Photo by Pixabay]

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