Facebook introduces cross-app communication between Messenger and Instagram, plus other features

On Instagram, users will be presented with an option to update to a new messaging experience that offers the ability to change your chat color, react with any emoji, watch videos together, set messages to disappear and more.

With cross-platform messaging interoperability, users may see fewer reasons to try a different chat app as one messaging app can reach friends and family across two of the worlds largest social networks.

Facebook says the new interoperability will also work even if the Instagram users dont have a Facebook account, and vice versa.

Though many users may choose to update for the fun enhancements, Facebook notes they can then opt out of being reachable across platforms using new privacy controls, after the fact.

Through an expanded set of privacy tools, users can specify who can reach their main Chats list, who is sent to the Message Request folder and who cant reach them at all.

As before, users on both Instagram and Messenger apps will be able to block and report suspicious and unwanted messages and calls on an as-needed basis.

The Safety Notices feature in Messenger, which helps users spot and respond to suspicious activity, will also come to Instagram initially to minors accounts.

Facebook says the features will begin rolling out to the general public, initially with a handful of countries around the world before expanding globally.

Original article