Users looking to make in-store purchases may soon be given another payment option besides cash or credit cards: Facebook Messenger.
According to a new report, Facebook is quietly testing a feature that will allow its Messenger users to make in-store payments through the app.
The Information discovered code in the Facebook Messenger app for iOS that would make it possible for customers to bypass credit card terminals and instead use their smartphones to pay for their goods. Users would be able to "pay in person" or "pay directly in Messenger when you pick up the item."
If the company does in fact launch this new feature in its chat app, it would join the mobile payment scene to compete against Apple Pay, Android Pay and Samsung Pay.
Facebook Messenger already has a payment feature. The company rolled out its peer-to-peer payment feature last March that allows friends to send money to each other directly in the app.
Mark Zuckerberg previously said in January that he was interested in teaming up with Apple Pay or other mobile payment services in the future.
"We'll partner with everyone who does payments," Zuckerberg said. "We look at the stuff that Apple is doing with Apple Pay, for example, as a really neat innovation in the space that takes a lot of friction out of transactions as well."
At first, many thought that there would be mobile payment integration within the Facebook app. This would be beneficial for those looking to make ticket purchases in event pages or in the Shopping feed.
However, if the company is looking to add its own mobile payment option to Messenger, you can count all potential partnerships out.
The in-store payment feature isn't the only thing Facebook reportedly has up its sleeve. The Facebook Messenger source code also referred to a "secret conversations" tool. It seems that this feature will have to be kept a secret for now because there is no current information on the tool. It could very well be some kind of encrypted messaging feature to keep conversations extra private.
Other new features that were in the code include the ability to sync the calendar to add events to better "organize your day," as well as sharing quotes from articles and updates to only a few friends.
Facebook has not yet made any announcements.
Source: The Information
Photo: Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr
