Facebook Messenger Adds Useful Shortcuts Feature: How It Works

Fb Messenger has launched a brand new set of options known as Shortcuts, utilizing instructions on the messaging service. Customers on iOS and Android smartphones can now subject instructions within the chat window to carry out totally different duties like notifying everybody in a bunch, or silently ship a message with out notifying different customers. They will additionally ship GIFs and ASCII emoticons on Fb Messenger. The brand new options are harking back to the now defunct MSN Messenger’s hidden ‘Easter Egg’ instructions and are designed to make sure duties on Messenger simpler by way of the usage of one-word instructions.

The Meta-owned messaging service revealed on Tuesday that it was introducing Shortcuts for Facebook Messenger on Android and iOS, which will likely be accessible beginning right this moment. Utilizing the Shortcuts function, customers can now kind @everybody to ship a notification to all customers within the chat. The command can be utilized to name group members’ consideration to a message asking a query, or as a reminder for an older message.

Customers can even utilise Shortcuts on Messenger to message a person or group with out notifying them, utilizing the /silent command. Messages despatched utilizing this command is not going to notify the person concerning the message, which may come in useful when messaging mates in several time zones with out disturbing them. The power to ship messages silently with out disturbing the recipient can also be discovered on rival messaging service Telegram, which introduced the function in 2019.

Messenger has additionally introduced upcoming help for a Shortcut to ship GIFs, arriving first on iOS
Picture Credit score: Fb

It’s price noting that sure Fb Messenger options introduced earlier this 12 months are but to be enabled for all customers on the service. In January, the corporate announced an upgraded messaging expertise for customers in its Secret Conversations mode, which makes use of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for chats. These options embrace screenshot alerts, emoji reactions, and Vanish mode, introduced forward of the corporate’s deliberate date to make use of E2EE for all chats on Messenger.

Requested concerning the delay in rolling out these options, Head of Messenger Loredana Crisan advised Devices 360 that a few of these options had been being examined by the corporate for stability earlier than being rolled out to all areas.

Each the /silent and @everybody Shortcuts will likely be accessible to Fb Messenger customers on iOS and Android units beginning right this moment, in line with the corporate. In the meantime, the corporate can also be engaged on including the power to seek for and ship GIFs to customers and teams on Messenger utilizing the /gif command. Customers may even have the ability to use /shrug and /tableflip instructions to ship tableflip “(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻” and shrug “¯_(ツ)_/¯” emoticons on Messenger.

These three instructions will likely be accessible to customers on iOS units within the coming weeks. Messenger customers within the US may even have the ability to ship and obtain cash by utilizing the /pay command sooner or later, the corporate stated.