Summary

  • Messenger is now rolling out Communities feature that was originally seen on WhatsApp, indicating Meta’s continued effort to separate its apps.
  • Meta is focusing on expanding Messenger’s capabilities and separating it from Facebook.
  • Recent updates in WhatsApp include UI improvements like thumbnail previews for media in conversations and status updates, aiming to retain users.



If you notice similarities between WhatsApp and Messenger on occasion, your eyes aren’t deceiving you – Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook and Instagram, is the owner of both apps. For this reason, it’s not uncommon to see similar features piloted and introduced across the products. Now, it seems like a popular one that originally debuted on WhatsApp is making its way to Messenger.

WhatsApp call integration

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Although it wasn’t announced with a bang, TechCrunch has confirmed that Communities are now rolling out on Messenger. Meta originally debuted Communities on its other app, WhatsApp, back in 2022 to give it some separation from Facebook. Through the use of Messenger, users can talk to each other without having to be associated with a specific Facebook Group.



Messenger continues to take WhatsApp’s lead

Meta is up against an ample amount of competition in the instant messaging realm. As it looks to keep pace, numerous changes have been seen in WhatsApp and Messenger alike. Some of Messenger’s features, in particular, are reminiscent of what can be found in Apple’s iMessage. Meta remains focused on expanding Messenger’s capabilities, and that includes separating it out from Facebook. It seems that the company understands that not everyone uses the social network or wants to link their profile to Messenger, and this move is indicative of that.



As the app continues to evolve in its functionality, Meta hasn’t forgotten about its other messaging darling, WhatsApp. Recently, a number of stable channel updates rolled out to improve the UI of the app. For example, small changes to the app’s search bar, floating action button, and bottom navigation bar were spotted in testing. Changes to how messages are viewed within WhatsApp have been noted as well – there are now thumbnail previews for media in conversations, for example.

Developers seem to be testing similar thumbnail previews for status updates. As Meta continues to make changes, it isn’t surprising to not hear about every little alteration made to its apps. That being said, this doesn’t mean they aren’t impactful, and UI improvements can be essential to retaining users.

Thanks: Karandeep!