Fb head Tom Alison introduced at the moment that the corporate is testing the power for customers to entry their Messenger inbox throughout the Fb app. Again in 2016, Fb eliminated messaging capabilities from its cell net software to push individuals to the Messenger app, in a transfer that angered many customers.
Now, the corporate is testing a reversal of this determination. In a weblog publish, Alison mentioned the social community is presently testing this modification, and famous that Fb plans to increase the check quickly. The change comes as Fb, and different Meta-owned platforms, want to compete with TikTok.
“Over the approaching yr, we’ll construct extra methods to combine messaging options in Fb,” Alison mentioned within the weblog publish. “Finally, we wish it to be straightforward and handy for individuals to attach and share, whether or not within the Messenger app or straight inside Fb.”
Over the previous yr, Fb has been shifting away from specializing in being an app for shut family and friends, and has as an alternative been positioning itself as a discovery platform. Final June, the social community revamped its “Dwelling” feed to reinforce content material discovery. On the time, Fb mentioned the Dwelling feed serves as a discovery engine for customers to seek out new content material and creators via algorithmic suggestions.
The transfer indicated Meta’s continued need to chase TikTok, its best risk. Provided that Fb has been specializing in being a discovery engine, it’s not shocking that it’s trying to carry again in-app messaging. By doing so, it might probably current itself as a spot for customers to straight focus on content material after discovering it. Alison notes that it’s essential for Fb to make it simpler for individuals to share what they uncover on Fb through messaging, with out having to change to a different app. Since TikTok surfaces new content material to its customers, and likewise gives a spot to debate it through DMs, Fb doubtless thinks it must the identical to compete with it.
As a part of at the moment’s announcement, Alison mentioned that Fb is off to an incredible begin this yr and that the social community is “thriving.”
“Opposite to experiences in any other case, Fb isn’t useless nor dying, however in actual fact alive and thriving with 2 billion every day lively customers,” Alison wrote. “Individuals are utilizing Fb for greater than connecting with family and friends, but additionally to find and interact round what’s most essential to them.”
In its fourth-quarter earnings reported final month, the corporate reported income of $32.17 billion in This fall, topping estimates, although nonetheless down 4% year-over-year and representing the third straight quarter of declines. Nevertheless, the inventory popped after its earnings beat because of Meta’s guarantees of “a yr of effectivity” and its deemphasized deal with the metaverse in favor of AI work.
