Facebook Messenger gets new features, including payments only in US

New Delhi: Facebook Inc. the world's largest social network, has added new chat themes and a quick reply bar in its Messenger app, along with an ability to send and receive money from anyone, even if they are not Facebook friends (for the users in the US).

The new chat themes are now available in Messenger and Instagram.

"Transform the background of your chat into a delightful and fun way to communicate with friends," said Sateesh Kumar Srinivasan, director of messaging product, Messenger.


The new quick reply bar to the Messenger media viewer makes it easier to have conversations sparked by a cool photo or video without needing to go back to your main chat thread. Just tap on the photo or video and send a response through the quick reply bar at the bottom of the screen. Swipe up to exit the full-screen media viewer and head back to your main chat thread.

Facebook has also rolled out the ability for US Messenger users to leverage QR codes and payment links when they want to send or request money with Facebook Pay, even if they're not connected on Facebook.

"No need to download a separate payment app. Simply share the payment link or allow your friends to scan your QR code to send or request money," the social network said.