Since Facebook bought Instagram in 2012, a possible merger between the two platforms could be devised. However, it is not until this year 2020 when the first signs of a homogenization between social networks finally begin to be seen.
Today, the social network owned by Mark Zuckerberg is powered by three of the most popular and powerful instant messaging platforms in the world. Yes, we are talking about Messenger, Instagram Direct and of course WhatsApp.
To the possibility of sharing a publication or the stories, now we add the possibility of responding to direct messages between platforms, being able to reply one or the other from either of the two.
Sending a message from Facebook to a friend on Instagram is optional
Currently the functionality is totally optional, that is, as a user you can choose whether or not you want to update to synchronize the messages between Instagram and Facebook.
However, everything indicates that it will end up becoming a standard functionality among applications that will end up forcing users to implement it in their profiles.
If you are one of the users who want to try this function, you will see how the Instagram Direct icon changes to the well-known Messenger icon, giving way to the possibility of communicating between both services.
Additionally, it is important to note that there are some limitations. For example, from Instagram it is only possible to send messages to people. However, it is not known if in the future there will be the possibility of sending messages to groups or pages.
As for Facebook, you can only send messages to Instagram accounts, so if you want to chat in a group, you must do it directly from the Direct app or from Instagram.
Custom emojis, colored chats, stickers and much more
Some of the additional news that Messenger users can enjoy, which highlights the possibility of adding stickers in conversations, watching videos with another person simultaneously during a video call or sending messages that self-destruct once their reading is confirmed.
For its part, on Instagram it will be possible to change the color of conversations, react with emojis or respond to specific messages. All this in the same way as it has been done in Messenger.
Additionally, there will be the possibility of sending messages with animated effects and being able to choose who can and who cannot send you messages, along with an improvement in the management of blocked accounts.
So you can send a message to a Facebook friend from Instagram
To perform this function between platforms you must do the following:
- Enter the Instagram app.
- Press the Messenger icon that appears in the upper right corner of your screen.
- In the search bar, type the name of the person you want to send the message to. As you type in its name, you will see different categories appear. People from Instagram will appear and below them your “Facebook friends”. If it doesn’t appear, click on the “see all” option.
- When you select it you will see a notification of “You are sending a message to a Facebook account”, your friend will see one like it. In this way they can already exchange messages. If you are not friends with this person, a notification will appear asking you to “Accept” the message.
In the event that someone wants to send a message from Facebook to an Instagram account, they will only have to search for the name of the other person’s account as it appears on the platform. In this case, both people will receive a similar message as a pop-up screen for you to accept or decline the conversation.
If you accepted the update, let us know your experience. Do you think that in the future we can see this same union with WhatsApp? It would be something very interesting, although for the moment, we can only settle for this.