Click To View Slideshow» Messenger is so much more than a mere messenger.
Facebook's standalone messaging platform, the aptly named Facebook Messenger, has become almost as popular as Facebook itself. As of July, Messenger can boast 1 billion monthly users. That's pretty impressive.
But Zuck & Co. appear to have far bigger plans for Messenger than just being Facebook's chatty kid sibling. In recent months, Facebook has packed a lot of cool (and somewhat unexpected) functionality into Messenger and has hinted at a lot more to come—particularly in the realms of AI and commerce.
It seems that Facebook, Inc. is grooming Messenger to become an all-in-one productivity/communication platform. But even in its current state, Messenger is one of the most versatile messaging apps out there. I certainly discovered a bunch while researching this article.
One note of warning: For all the resources Facebook has packed into Messenger, it quickly became obvious during the writing of this feature that cross-OS coherence was not one of its guiding principles. Messenger's functionality can vary greatly across devices. I tested these Messenger features on an iPad, Android phone (a Galaxy phone running Marshmallow to be specific), and the Web app. Even when features aren't completely missing from particular platforms, they may need to be accessed in radically different ways. Just know that when attempting any Messenger magic yourself. Good luck!
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