Facebook released an update for their mobile app today that makes it a lot easier to get to and use group messaging. According to the update, it now takes fewer taps to start a group message. And, once you’ve got a group conversation going, it’s easier to name the conversation and get to it later.
To start a group conversation, open your Facebook app and tap the chat icon in the upper right corner, or simply swipe to the left to reveal your chat favorites. Tap the New Message button and begin adding people to the conversation.
As soon as you start the conversation, a field field will appear above the conversation that you can use to name it. In the upper right, tapping the (i) icon will take you to the Group Info area where you can change the name, add more people, adjust notifications or even leave the conversation.
The conversation will now appear within your Messages list like any other, but labelled with the name you chose, making it more easily identifiable among other past conversations you may have had.
The fact that Facebook messages are consistent between desktop and mobile makes it a nice option if you have multiple team members and want to communicate with them all at the same time. It doesn’t matter if they’re at their desk or not, they can participate in the chat and refer to it later easily.
The update also makes it possible for users to update their cover photo from their smartphone, where previously had you to be logged into a computer to do so. With so many people opting to use their iPad or even iPhone as their computer, this update makes sense, and also tracks with Facebook’s goal to make the user experience the same regardless of which platform they’re using.