Facebook (FB) – Get Report said on Wednesday that it would incorporate its Messenger service with Instagram’s direct messages, enabling the apps’ users to directly communicate with each other through calls and chats.
Users can also control where and whether they receive messages and calls — in their chats or message requests, or not at all according to the company’s privacy control policies, the Menlo Park, Calif., social-media giant said in a statement.
With the new update, Facebook is changing how users can control their privacy, including tools that will enable them to report suspicious activity.
Facebook said it would first integrate those features on Instagram and Messenger in a few countries and then expand globally.
With the update, users can stay connected with their friends and family without deciding which app to use to communicate. Instagram users can decide if they want to update to the new feature.
Some of the features from Messenger that will be integrated with Instagram include replying to a specific message, forwarding messages, and customizable chat colors and themes.
The messaging update will also include features such as Watch Together, which enables users to watch videos with their friends on IGTV during a video call.
Other features include selfie stickers and Vanish Mode, through which users can ensure that messages automatically disappear after they have been seen or read.
And there’s more yet: the opportunity to share content with up to five friends or groups; animated message effects, and enhanced reporting and blocking updates.
More than 100 billion messages are sent across Facebook’s apps every day, the company said.
Facebook has been under antitrust scrutiny. Lawmakers and regulators have voiced concern about Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to integrate Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram.
Last week, media reports suggested that Facebook’s independent oversight board may start to review content on its platforms in October.
