It seems that someone at Facebook likes nice round numbers, because the social network has released Facebook Messenger 4.0 for iPhone and Android. Big new updates are great, except when they’re not big at all, which is certainly the case with Facebook Messenger. See, the app has seen its version number bumped to the lofty number of 4.0, but do the changes warrant a new point-0 release? Probably not, no.
So once updated, what will users notice that’s new in this release?
The first addition is the ability to sort friends into groups. These groups can have customized names so they’re easier to sort and find, as well as user-assigned icons which is definitely a welcome addition over the previous release. It’s a nice addition, and one that will no doubt prove popular amongst those with more friends then they could ever have time to converse with!
The next change in version 4.0 is the ability to forward messages – including images – to users who are not already in a given conversation. We forward iMessages quite regularly, so we can see why such a thing would come in particularly useful to those who live inside Facebook Messenger. If you have found yourself in need of a forward feature, then now you’ve got it!
Finally, Facebook says that it has made the app more reliable as well as increasing the speed at which it does things, which is always a welcome addition to any app. We’re just not sure that these three well, two really – new features should get Facebook Messenger a whole new version number. Yes we’re being pedantic, and no, nobody probably cares. But yeah, there you have it.
A new icon will be the sole change in version 5.0 at this rate!
The newly updated version of Facebook Messenger is available for anyone to download from the App Store and Play Store right now, and as always it costs absolutely nothing. If you’re always speaking to people on Facebook rather than one of the myriad other alternatives, then grab the update today.
(Download: Facebook Messenger for iPhone / Android)
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