The Messenger redesign essentially puts more focus on Stories, a format that has done well for its Instagram platform. (Image Source: Facebook)
Facebook Messenger redesign that removes the Discover tab and was announced by the company last year has started to roll out for everyone. The new Messenger design removes the Discover tab and also brings Stories and Active as sub-tabs under the People tab. According to a TechCrunch report, which quoted a Messenger spokesperson, the changes will roll out more widely this week.
The Messenger redesign essentially puts more focus on Stories, a format that has done well for its Instagram platform. Meanwhile, Discover tab that also included chatbots that Facebook introduced for Messenger in 2016. Bots for Messenger essentially helped users connect with businesses or directly book an Uber through the Messenger app, manage day-to-day tasks, etc.
“As a part of our continued commitment to simplify the Messenger experience for people, we will begin to phase out the Discover tab over the next several months,” Facebook said in a blog post in August last year. The move, it said will make it “more seamless for people to reach out to businesses on Messenger”, though users will now need to now search for businesses via the Messenger search bar.
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So with Discover tab removed, Messenger will just have the Chat and People tabs. The People tab will essentially showcase Stories from friends in a tile-like format in the Stories sub-tab, while the Active sub-tab will list friends that are online on Messenger now.
TechCrunch also shared screenshots of the Messenger redesign, which clearly seems to focus on Stories, as the feature now has a dedicated sub-tab under the People tab. In the current format, Stories from friends are displayed in circles, placed one after another in a horizontal row on top. Thanks to a new design, Stories appear more prominent.