Cool Tricks and Secret Gems Inside Facebook Messenger

With 1.3 billion monthly users, Facebook's standalone Messenger platform has become almost as popular as Facebook itself, as the company packed cool (and sometimes unexpected) functionality into the messaging service.

Its popularity is topped only by WhatsApp, which is also owned by Facebook. And as their parent company moves to bring Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp closer together, new features—like money transfers, video calls, and better encryption—have made their way to Facebook Messenger. Here's what you should know before you start a chat.

Get Off the Phone

While most people use Messenger on their phone, you can also chat on the desktop—without having to keep Facebook.com open all day. Instead, try Messenger.com, where you can enjoy the app's basic functionality in your browser. Alternatively, there is now a desktop app for Windows and Mac, which has all the same features as the mobile app version.

Talk Cross-Platform

Messenger debuted as Facebook Chat in 2008—several years before Facebook spent billions on Instagram and WhatsApp. But now that the social network owns all three services, it's made an effort to merge them together. Now, if you're using Messenger, you can talk with people on Instagram without needing to switch apps. (Look for it on WhatsApp soon.)

To restrict access between the two apps, navigate to Settings > Privacy > Message Delivery. Here, you can choose whether Instagram friends or acquaintances can message you freely via Messenger, if you want to approve them first, or block access completely.

Make Phone and Video Calls

Never use your phone service again because Messenger can make phone and video calls for you, on mobile and the desktop. Just click on the phone icon or the camera icon in any existing chat to give your friend or friends a call. The only requirement is that all parties have an internet connection. Be warned that the service starts up as soon as you touch the button, so be ready!

Send Audio Messages

Instead of a live phone call, you can also send audio messages to your contacts. Just tap the microphone button on mobile to begin record, then use drag and drop to either cancel or send. In the desktop app, you click the + button and select Record a Voice Clip, then either click the X button to delete or the choose send.

Create a Room

In order to compete with group video chat services like Zoom, Facebook introduced Messenger Rooms to give people a place to congregate remotely. Create a room and invite your friends, where you can share your screen, play games, or watch videos together. All Watch Together content is available through Facebook Watch, so you can all view video clips, TV shows, and feature length movies from inside the chat.

These rooms can be left up all the time for anyone to drop in or only open at specific times for gatherings. And thanks to increased integration, this feature works across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

Encrypted Conversations

If you're looking to share information that you don't want falling into the wrong hands, start a Secret Conversation, which uses the Signal Protocol to set up end-to-end encryption. Encrypting a conversation is optional because end-to-end encryption breaks some features in Messenger, like using it across multiple devices, archiving past conversations, and even sending things like money or animated GIFs.

To send a "secret" message, tap the New Message icon on the top-right of the home screen and tap Secret (iOS) or toggle the secret icon to the on position (Android). In an existing chat, tap the person's name at the top of the screen and select Go to Secret Conversation. Secret conversations will appear in different threads from regular chats in Messenger.

While inside a Secret Conversation, you can also set your messages to expire after a certain amount of time. Tap the stopwatch icon to add an expiration time of 5, 10, or 30 seconds, 1, 5, 10, or 30 minutes, 1, 6, or 12 hours, or up to one day. The clock won't start until they have seen the message. You can also select Off to keep messages visible within the Secret Conversation.

Disappearing Messages

If you only want a little extra privacy without getting into encryption, Messenger's newest feature is disappearing messages. Called Vanish Mode in the app, all you have to do is swipe up inside a chat in order to turn on disappearing messages. Now all your messages, videos, and gifs will disappear once you close out of the app. The mode also supports screenshot notifications.

When you no longer want to use Vanish Mode, swipe up on the screen again, or tap the Turn Off Vanish Mode button at the top of your conversation.

Create Stories and Video Messages

Messenger has much of the same functionality as Instagram, meaning you can compose and send video messages within the app. On mobile, tap the camera icon and hold the center icon to record a video. You can also load your clips up with filters and other touches of customization.

Like Facebook and Instagram, you can also create stories—short collections of video and pictures—within the Messenger app. You can view existing stories in the mobile app under People > Stories, then make your own by tapping Add to Story. Otherwise, create content and then choose Your Story as the destination.

Once the story has been published, it will remain visible for 24 hours. You can adjust settings in order to ensure that only certain people see your story or that it disappears after a certain amount of time.

Poll Your Friends

Getting a group to make a decision can be frustrating, so Messenger lets you poll your friends. Open or start a chat with the group of friends you want to poll. Tap the four-dot (Android) or plus (iOS) icon on the left and tap Polls. Type your question, add choices, and tap Create Poll. 

Transfer Money

There are a number of mobile payment apps available now, but if you'd rather not leave the confines of Facebook when managing your finances, Messenger also lets you send and request money through Facebook Pay.

On mobile, tap your photo on the top of the app and select Facebook Pay to add a debit card or link your PayPal account. You can also add a PIN or fingerprint in connection with financial transactions to keep things more secure.

Then, from inside a conversation, choose four-dot icon (on mobile) or + icon (on web and iOS) to open additional messaging options. Select the $ icon, then fill in the amount to send or request.

Manage Visibility

If you value your privacy, Messenger has a few features that can help you secure your account, outside of Facebook's own security features. Active Status tells your friends when you're online; a green dot will appear on your profile icon when you're available to chat. If you'd rather not broadcast your status, tap your chat head in the top-left corner, select Active Status and toggle it off. Note that this means you can't see other people's statuses either.

Other privacy settings can be accessed under the Privacy tab, where you can block accounts, manage who can see your stories, and how the app should handle message requests.

Make Messenger Your SMS App (Android Only)

If you like Facebook Messenger more than your standard text messaging app, you can use it to receive both instant and SMS messages on Android. This means you will be able to receive text messages through the Messenger app, just like if someone was chatting with you. Tap your chat head and select SMS, then toggle the On switch. You can then determine how to app handles text and media messages.

Read Receipts

You can check on the status of your messages by tapping on them inside the chat window. Messenger will inform you when a message has been sent, then notify you when it has been delivered. The message will say "Seen" after it's been read.

Send Your Location

You can send your exact location to anyone you're talking with on the mobile app by tapping the four-dot (Android) or plus (iOS) icon and selecting Location (Android) or the location icon (iOS). Facebook will launch a map that shows your current location; share it for 60 minutes or drop a pin at a specific spot. Friends will receive a link to your location on Messenger. You'll have to give Messenger permission to share your location in the background for that time period.

Turn on Dark Mode

Messenger lets you nickname conversations and assign them a color theme or their own particular emoji. Access this function by tapping on a contact's profile and selecting Theme, Emoji, or Nickname. You can also choose to turn the Messenger interface from white to black by turning on dark mode. Tap your chat-head icon on the top left and toggle Dark Mode to on.

Diversify Your Emoji

Android users can add diversity to their emoji by tapping the chat head in the top-left corner and navigating to Photos & Media > Emoji and selecting a default skin tone. The functionality is built directly into iOS, so all you have to do is long-press on an emoji and a menu will pop up with different skin tone options.

Sometimes a simple emoji won't do the trick and you need to SUPERSIZE it. On Android or the web (sorry, iPhone users), tap or click the smiley face icon, and select and hold your emoji of choice. As you hold it, the emoji will grow in size; release to send.

If you hold it too long, the icon will begin to shake before deflating back to its smaller, normal size. Those who receive these emoji on their iPhones will see them at their normal sizes.

Unsend a Message

Facebook Messenger allows users to undo messages up to 10 minutes after sending. Perform this action by pressing down on your message on mobile and selecting Remove. A pop-up message will ask if you want to "Unsend" or "Remove for You." In the chat, a grayed-out note will appear that says "You unsent a message" or "You removed a message." To remove that, long-press on it and select Remove. After the 10-minute window is up, you can only remove a message from your view; everyone else in the chat will still see it.

Add Additional Facebook Accounts

If you want to add an additional account to Messenger, go to Settings > Switch Account > Add Account to more easily switch between Facebook personas. You can also create a new account from this menu.

Messenger Kids

Your kids are probably using TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram. But if they want to chat with someone on Facebook—like grandma or grandpa and far-flung relatives—you can set them up with a safer version of the social network, Messenger Kids (iOS, Android). Parents control who kids can talk to, and Facebook added updates last year that gives mom and dad even more insight into what kids are doing in the app.