The latest Facebook Messenger update has revamped the home screen of the popular messaging app to make navigation much easier for users.
The update continues Facebook's string of implemented changes to Messenger as it gears up the app as the preferred communication service among users.
Revamped Facebook Messenger Home Screen
The new look for the Messenger home screen was announced through a post on the app's official Facebook page.
"Your new home screen is organized around making Messenger your central hub for connecting with the people and businesses you want to in whatever way you prefer," the post stated. It adds that the same features of Messenger are present but organized differently to help users find what they want faster.
The first change can be seen at the top of the Messenger home screen. While Messenger Day posts are still prominently featured, three new tabs can be seen located above them for Messages, Active, and Groups.
The Messages tab allows users to see their conversations with other users, and the Active tab shows which of their friends are currently online on the app through a green dot. The Groups tab, meanwhile, will take users directly to their favorite group conversations.
The second change comes to the bottom bar of Messenger, which will now feature Home, Calls, the in-app Camera, People, and Games. According to Facebook VP David Marcus, a Discover tab will soon be added. A red dot will also appear on top of these tabs whenever there is any new activity on any of them, such as a new message under Home and a missed call under Calls.
According to the post, Facebook will roll out the Messenger home screen update to the iOS and Android versions of the app this week.
New Additions To Facebook Messenger: Good Or Bad?
The home screen revamp for Facebook Messenger is needed due to the many new additions that have been recently added to the app.
Some of the recent additions to Facebook Messenger are the Live Location feature to tell friends where you are, group payments for sending money to more than one person, and a variety of bots with the M digital assistant,
In March, Facebook also launched Messenger Day, a feature that allows users to send messages that will vanish after 24 hours. Messenger Day drew controversy upon its launch primarily because it was seen as a clone of Snapchat Stories.
While these new features have proven to be useful for some users, there are some people who prefer the lightweight version of the app from years ago. Fortunately for Android users, there is a way to bring back that version of Messenger by side-loading an app called Messenger Lite.
Messenger Lite, which is not available in the United States, is a much simpler version of the app that is meant for regions filled with low-end smartphones running on unreliable data connections. It drops most of the features of Messenger, both good and bad, for a streamlined communications app that some users may find appealing.
