30 Facebook Messenger tips – BDM
We’ve collected 30 tips and tricks for Facebook Messenger: Find out how to play games, make video calls, leave a group conversation, post a story, or even easily share files on Messenger!
Publish your story on Messenger
Facebook launched a feature called Messenger Day last year, similar in concept to SnapChat stories. Messenger Day lets you share live photos and videos with your friends to retrace your day by adding filters. Note: your Messenger Day will disappear after 24 hours. To start it, tap on your profile picture in Messenger and click on the « + ».
See if someone ignores you
You can check if the recipient of your message has seen it by tapping on it in the mobile app. If the words « seen » appear below the message, you are set!
Play Pac-Man and Space Invaders on Messenger
You can play games on Messenger (Pac Man, Space Invaders…). To do this, click on the « game » icon at the bottom of a conversation window. You can play it on mobile and on the web. If you feel like playing alone, go to facebook.com/games/instantgames, open a chat with yourself, and start a game!
Share your Messenger profile with a QR Code
Facebook invented Messenger Code, a pictogram to allow you to be easily added as a Messenger contact. To view or share your Facebook Messenger code, tap your photo at the top left (iOS) or right (Android). This is where you will find your personalized code with your profile picture in the middle. By clicking on it, a pop-up appears with two tabs:
- My code presents your code to be scanned by another phone,
- Scan code allows you to scan other people’s code.
Send 15-second videos on Messenger
Facebook added the ability to send 15-second video clips in a message. When writing your message in a conversation, click the camera icon and hold it down for 15 seconds.
Secret conversations on Messenger (encrypted)
Since last year, Facebook has been developing secret conversations. Under the “Signal Protocol” system, these then remain completely private. To start a secret conversation you must click on your profile picture on Messenger and press « activate secret conversation ». To start a secret conversation on iOS: start a new chat and select “secret” at the top right. Then select the person to whom you want to send a message. In Android, start a chat with anyone, click the little “i” icon in the upper right corner and click “secret chat”.
Access Facebook Messenger on your computer
If you are working at a computer, the easiest way to use Messenger is its desktop version. This will allow you to chat with your friends. You can also access a slightly more advanced version via messenger.com. While it is very practical, it does not include all the features of the mobile application (there is no encrypted messaging, for example).
Interact with bots
Facebook is embarking on bots, developed by media or brands. They can provide links within your Messenger conversations to articles answering your questions or based on your interests. You can also order flowers, food…. If you want to manually search for info on a particular bot, go directly to « Companies » (iOS only). You will find the list of bots available on Messenger. You can also go to the botlist.co site and subscribe to the ones that interest you.
Enlarge the Like and other emojis on Messenger
There are certain conversations that deserve to be punctuated by great emojis. Messenger allows them to be enlarged with a long click. To do this, simply hold the emoji in the lower right corner, it will enlarge until you let go. But be careful, if you hold it too long, the icon will start to shake before it deflates back to its original size.
Create Messenger shortcuts (Android)
You can access your Messenger conversations more quickly if you are using an Android smartphone, by creating shortcuts for your favorite chats. To do this, tap on the conversation in question, in the menu that opens tap « create a shortcut ». A shortcut to it will then appear directly on your screen and you will just have to click on it to continue your discussion!
Download new Messenger stickers
Messenger stickers are small stickers that you can find in the Messenger library, but you can also download new ones for free. Via your smartphone, click on the stickers menu then « + » at the bottom right (iOS) or above the sticker options (Android), then download the sticker packs you want.
Share animated GIFs on Messenger
There are images that are worth every word in the world, and to illustrate a point, nothing like an animated GIF! In Messenger, you can have access to a whole library of GIFs. To add one to your conversation: on iOS, click on the little « + » at the bottom right, you will have the possibility to search for GIFs in the database or use an extension of the famous Giphy site! Your turn 🙂
Send hearts or balloons on Messenger
If you open your emoticon keyboard and choose the red balloon to send to your recipient, you will see lots of balloons come to life when you press « send ». Ditto for the « heart » emoticon which will send an avalanche of hearts to your contact!
Send photos in random mode
Confused about what to send to your best friend or early morning sweetheart? Stop spending 3 hours looking for THE cutest photo that your recipient will love. In the text space, write « @dailycute » and click send. A cute image will be randomly selected and sent to your contact! Fast, simple and efficient.
Make video or audio calls on Messenger
Although Messenger was originally developed to make it easier to send short messages, online messaging today allows you to make audio and video calls. To do this, simply click on the small phone or the camera at the top of a conversation and you’re done. It’s completely free and it also works in group chats. Convenient !
Receive messages from people who are not your friends
Facebook Messenger lets people you are not friends with to message you. But these do not appear prominently, you have to go and look for them. On your application, click on “Contacts” in Messenger then on “Invitations by message”, you will see all the people who have tried to contact you. You are free to respond to them, or delete their invitation by message! Same process for the desktop version except that you will have to press the small settings helix at the top left.
Color your Messenger conversations
Messenger allows users to rename their favorite conversations, assign them a color and even a dedicated emoji. On Android, you must press the “i” icon, on iOS click on the name of your conversation then on “color” or “emoji”.
Add, remove people, or leave a group conversation on Messenger
Messenger allows its users to engage in a conversation with several people, which can be very practical within a group of friends to organize a surprise birthday party, for example. But how do you remove someone from a group conversation (including yourself) or add a new person?
On the web, click in the conversation on the left column of Messenger, click on the “i” icon in the upper right corner and then on add people at the bottom of the right column. To remove a guest, click on the “…” next to their first name and remove from the group. If you wish to leave a conversation, click on the small helix of the parameters then « leave the group ».
On Android, click on a conversation and the “i” button in the upper right corner and then on the stacked dots next to each name to remove them from a conversation. It’s the same process for adding people. On the other hand, if it is you who wish to leave, click on these three small dots in the upper right corner of the window and click on « leave the group ».
Rename a group
Now that you know how to add or remove people from a conversation, you can rename your different groups as well. In the mobile app, create a conversation and give it a nickname. In the web version of Messenger, you can rename a conversation by clicking on the icon to the right of the conversation, then on « change the name of the conversation ».
Take a survey
For the undecided and those who are tired of going back 25,000 messages on Messenger to find who said what, the application now allows its users to poll their friends in a conversation. At the bottom of the chat window click on the Poll icon and ask your question!
Organize an event in Messenger
Messenger has just added the possibility of setting an appointment, an outing, an event with your friends. In a conversation, click on the « + » to the left of the text bar then Program. You can make an appointment with your contacts and set them a meeting time in Messenger.
Give your contacts a nickname
Facebook is a great way for old friends to reconnect, which is why Facebook displays your full name. But for everyday conversations, you just want to call your mom « Mom » and not with her full first and last name. Be careful not to give your interlocutor a mocking nickname: once renamed, he will receive a notification in Messenger to warn him!
Send your favorite music
Messsenger has entered into a partnership with Spotify to allow its users to share their musical content (songs, playlists, etc.) via the discussion platform. Sent songs cannot be played in Messenger but act as a redirect link to Spotify.
To do this, click on the « … » in the chat menu and scroll down to find the Spotify app. The app opens and lets you find the song you want to send. The recipient will need to install the Spotify app on their phone. This technique only works on mobile.
You can also share directly with the Spotify app. Select a song, press “…” on the song then Share, Send to and finally Messenger. The Messenger app opens, you select a recipient, and the song is sent.
Use multiple Messenger accounts on your phone
If you want to add an additional account to Messenger, go to Settings then Accounts and tap the plus symbol in the top right corner on Android. On iOS, press your photo in Messenger then « change account » and finally the « + » to add your second account. This allows you to connect multiple Messenger accounts on the same phone.
Send your location
Messenger has integrated a functionality …
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