As expected, Facebook has a lot of plans for its Messenger app, as announced during the Facebook F8 developer conference. This time around they are looking into integrating several apps through their bots in what they call Chat Extensions. They are also introducing the Discover tab to make it easier to find bots and look for businesses plus Messenger Codes to easily connect people to an event’s bot. These new features will be introduced in the US first and then hopefully roll out globally as well.
The Chat Extensions will let users share specific things in their Messenger conversation threads. For example, one brand that is already on board is Spotify. If you want the person you’re chatting with to listen to a certain song on the music streaming service, you don’t need to go to the app, look for the song, copy the link, then paste the link. All you have to do is click the plus button, choose the Spotify bot from among the extensions, look for the song, tap to send to group, and voila! Other brands that are now included are Kayak, NBA, Food Network, OpenTable, The Score, and Wall Street Journal.
They are also adding a Discover tab where you can easily access the bots you’ve recently used as well as look for businesses that may have bots as well. Meanwhile the Messenger Code is something that brands or companies can use at events that will let their guests connect with their bots through a QR code.
Some users are also reporting seeing a Games tab on the Messenger home screen. Facebook will also be bringing Rich Gameplay, or simply turn-by-turn type of games. So yes, they don’t want you to leave the messaging app anymore so expect more features. For now, US users are the only ones that are seeing these new treats, so let’s wait for the global rollout.
VIA: SlashGear
