In order to ensure the reliability and performance of its products, Facebook launched last June a beta program to test its Facebook for Android last year. On Monday, the company has announced that it also needs beta testers to make sure its Messenger for Android runs smoothly.
The Facebook Messenger for Android beta program will serve as a warning system that can help the company to make necessary adjustments and guarantee an excellent user experience prior to official roll out of new versions.
"As with the main Facebook application, our goals with this program are to expand our pool of testers and gain feedback across a more diverse set of devices. Simply by using the app and reporting issues, beta testers will be able to help us improve performance and the overall experience on a wide variety of Android devices at scale," Facebook announced on its engineering blog.
"Anyone can join the beta program. When you do, you will get a small batch of fixes and new features every month. We ask that you use your app as you normally would, but submit a report when you encounter a bug or other issue," it added.
The company has created a Google group for those who want to become a beta tester. Joining the group will give users access to download the latest beta version of Facebook Messenger from the Play Store. Those who opt-in will get several updates of the software every week.
The beta program will also be a good channel for Facebook to discover what sharing tools will serve its user base, given that Messenger is used for private sharing and for small group conversations.
The company also reminds everyone that the Facebook Messenger beta for Android might be less stable than the general release since the features are still being developed.
Beta testers who want to opt out can easily do so by leaving the group, uninstalling the beta version of the app and re-installing the latest stable version of the Facebook Messenger app.
While Facebook has clarified before that WhatsApp will remain to function as an independent unit, it is exciting to see if any functional integration will be made.
The company has been tweaking its services of late. In February, Facebook killed the unpopular @Facebook.com email address for the simple reason that no one is using it. Messages sent to the Facebook email address will instead be delivered to the primary email address of the user, a set up that raised eyebrows since anyone can essentially send users emails using the profile URL that is exactly the same as the discontinued Facebook email.
The News Feed also received a refresh on March 6. The designers of the company had to start from scratch as most of the proposed changes last year were not well received by the small population that tested it. The new look sports larger pictures and leans toward looking like its mobile platform sibling. On Friday, the company implemented auto-playing video ads on News Feed of users. The 15-second ads aim to steal some advertising budget from billions spent by brands on TV and other platforms.
