Facebook is testing a new ‘Chat’ post type that lets users join Group Chats on Messenger.
Back in July, Instagram rolled out Chat Stickers on its platform, allowing users to invite their followers to join new group chats in Direct. The feature connects users to private conversations in just one tap after they are approved by the poster, of course. They can leave the chat whenever they like, and posters can also decide to end the chat whenever they want.
Facebook is now working on a similar feature – a new “Chat” post type that takes viewers to a group chat on Messenger. The feature, spotted by Jane Manchun Wong last week, lets users create and promote any private group chat, with people they choose to take part in the discussion.
Facebook is working on Chat posts that share a Messenger Group Chat in a post,
similar to how Instagram's Chat Stickers funnel users from Story to Direct Group Chats pic.twitter.com/rCcOD74Ke1
— Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) September 12, 2019
With the move to private conversations becoming more apparent across most social apps – and especially those in Facebook’s family of apps – it’s not a surprise that Facebook is bringing more options to help users start private discussions. “The future is private,” indeed.
While this new post type could help drive discussions between users, it could also open up opportunities for brands to start conversations around products and services with customers and fans. Of course, this depends on whether Facebook opens up the feature to Pages or not.
It’s still early to know when – or even if – Facebook will roll out the feature, but we will report back with updates as the story develops further.
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