Facebook Messenger can now handle threaded replies. In a nutshell, this means you can reply specifically to one comment in a chat without derailing the whole conversation. Which makes it especially useful for group chats involving multiple people.
How to Use Threaded Replies on Messenger
Creating a threaded reply in Facebook Messenger is extremely simple. All you need to do is press and hold down on the individual message to which you want to reply. Alongside the existing option to add an emoji, you’ll now see a “Reply” button.
Click this, and write your response as normal. When you hit send, your message will be added to the conversation, but with the original message attached as a quote. So while everyone in the chat will be able to see it, they’ll know who you’re addressing.
Facebook Messenger now has message threads https://t.co/leojLfhTVk
— VentureBeat (@VentureBeat) March 21, 2019
You could find this useful in a one-on-one chat; if, for example, the conversation has moved on and you want to address something said earlier. However, threaded replies are particularly useful in group chats where multiple subjects are being discussed at once.
Facebook hasn’t formally announced this feature, but it should be rolling out to Messenger’s 1.3 billion users around the world right now. If you can’t yet use a threaded reply in Messenger be sure to update the app to the latest version.
Facebook Plans to Merge Its Messaging Apps
Facebook is working on merging its three messaging apps. This means that eventually, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram would all share the same underlying technology. Which would enable users of one app to communicate with users of another app.
This likely explains why Facebook has added threaded replies to Messenger, and why now. WhatsApp has boasted this feature for some time, and the more features the apps share, the easier it will be for Facebook to merge Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram.
Read the full article: You Can Now Use Threaded Replies on Messenger
