Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) has introduced a feature which allows multiple messenger accounts on one device and switching through them seamlessly. The company is also planning to reintroduce the SMS feature in Messenger, allowing texts to be sent using phone numbers.
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The SMS feature is in its testing phase in North America though the multiple accounts feature has already been launched globally to all Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Android devices.
A Facebook spokesperson stated that they are testing how they can bring all conversations from SMS and Messenger to one place.
SMS in Messenger existed back in 2012 and 2013, though it was closed citing that not enough people were using it. During this time, Messenger allowed users to text their friends even if they were not on Facebook or did not own a Facebook Messenger account. The feature during this time did not have the ability to store text and would not work on its web version or even on other platforms. This shortcoming might have been the cause of a reduced adoption rate.
When Facebook was asked if the restrictions were still in play in the new feature, they declined to comment.
Messenger last month surpassed the 800 million monthly active users mark, a significant milestone considering fierce competition from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in iMessenger and Eclipse Resources Corp (NYSE:ECR) .
SMS is one of the older traditional ways of mobile communication though it is still widely used. Users can check if their Messenger app has the SMS option by looking for ‘change SMS App’ in the Messenger setting panel.
Facebook is also introducing a new feature, which will allow users to use multiple accounts on one single device. Normally, people have to log out of their accounts in order to log in to another account. This new feature will eliminate these inconveniences by allowing users to switch between accounts profile easily.
This feature might be useful to salespersons, businesses, customer agents, families and other professionals who have to share a device or run multiple pages. It can be activated by adding a user in account setting.