Why You Should Use Facebook Messenger Instead of SMS
Group texts can be very interesting, especially when you start sharing links, gifs, and other fun stuff. But when someone with a different operating system joins the party, it’s always a problem.
You are chatting with a group of iPhone owners taking full advantage of the stickers and preview links by changing the name of the conversation. But then you invite someone with Android to a group chat, the blue bubbles turn green and you can no longer use any of the fun features. However, there is a way to solve this problem.
There is a place where bubbles of different colors don’t matter. A place where everyone can use the same features, see the same emojis, and view the same content. This place is Facebook Messenger.
Facebook is adding so many features to its instant messaging platform that it not only makes it fun to use, but also extremely user-friendly and accessible. In a way, this is better than regular SMS. That’s why.
Works wherever Wi-Fi is available
With Messenger, you don’t have to worry about your mobile data plan. As long as you have Wi-Fi, you can use it. The good news today is that Wi-Fi is almost everywhere. Especially in a big city like New York, where there is free Wi-Fi on the streets.
You can customize this
You can change almost everything in a Messenger conversation. You can give your friends nicknames and change them as often as you like in the “Edit nicknames” section. You can also change the name of the group chat to any other by simply hovering over the name of the group chat and typing something else. It is also possible to assign a specific reaction to the emoticon in the “Change emoticon” section. Whichever emoji you choose will replace the regular Facebook thumb-up emoji button.
The coolest feature, however, is the group chat color change. There is a whole color palette that changes the color of the text bubbles. It can be pink, green, purple, brown, etc.
You can play games in chat
If you ever get bored at work (or somewhere else), you can invite your friends to play soccer or basketball, or just send a soccer ball or basketball emoji (this only works on mobile devices). Clicking on the small icon launches a mini-game in the messaging window, the goal of which is to score as many points as possible and break the records of your opponents.
You can also play games like Words Against Friends by clicking the game controller icon in the keyboard bar (this works on both mobile devices and desktops).
Links are displayed as a preview
Many SMS apps like iMessage already show links as previews, but not when sent to someone on Android. If you send the link via Messenger, it will preview the website, YouTube video, or social media post as a small thumbnail. This is great because sometimes you don’t have to log out of Messenger to watch or read what your friends have sent you, and you can react to it immediately.
Plus, if your friends are sending you a Facebook group event, it’s easier to see since you’re already connected to Facebook. The app will automatically redirect you to the event page.
Your boss will think you are working.
The best thing about Messenger is that it works the same on both your smartphone and computer. You can log in through the app or in your browser and have the same experience. If you’re at work and chatting with friends on Messenger, you don’t have to switch between your computer and phone to plan dinner. All you have to do is open a new view tab and enter some text. Oh, and if you have a strict boss, he or she will probably think that you are very busy and focused on work rather than chatting about your Messenger life.
Read receipts are always included, so no one can ignore you and get away with it
If you are a person who hates waiting for a response from another person, Messenger is perfect for you. Facebook has made sure that read receipts are always activated so you can call people when they see your message but don’t reply. Below each text bubble, you will see when someone read your message and ignored you. If they read it, you will see a small circle with their profile picture. If they haven’t, you will see a circle with a check mark (which means they got it).
You can delete messages
When you write text messages, you tend to make mistakes – there are many. But when you send text messages via SMS, you cannot remove annoying typos or accidental confessions to the wrong person. With Messenger, you can delete any message you send. You just need to click on the ellipsis next to each text bubble and a delete button will appear.
Voice messages and video chats are also available.
Messenger is great not only for text conversations, but also for voice and video chats. The apps have a tiny microphone and video camera next to the text input panel that lets you send quick audio recordings or start a video conference call like Skype. The great thing about these features is that they are extremely easy to use and you already have all your contacts at your fingertip – you don’t need to log into any other website or app.
You can replace Messenger with SMS on Android
This is for Android users only. But if you have an Android phone, you can have all your SMS conversations appear as purple threads on Messenger along with blue Facebook chats. Go to settings, select “SMS” and enable “Default SMS App” and you will see the SMS syncing with your messenger. It will not prevent you from receiving and reading SMS in other applications, including the standard Android system.
You can encrypt your messages
Increasingly, people are asking tech companies to add message encryption to their messaging apps. Facebook has added a “secret” option in the upper right corner of the “new message” screen. This allows users to send ephemeral Snapchat-style messages to friends that can last anywhere from five seconds to one day. The secret messages feature is optional, but if used, no one will be able to read these messages except two people at either end of the conversation. Neither Facebook, nor law enforcement, nor intelligence agencies will be able to spy on you.