At the beginning of the year, Facebook was committed to simplify Messenger after years in which it has been adding things to make it a little monster. The redesign takes a few weeks in tests and now has finally been made official: it should reach Messenger users for Android and iOS in the coming days or weeks.
The redesign focuses on simplifying some elements of the interface, mainly the main window. This had up to nine tabs in the past (according to Facebook accounts), which have been simplified in three. Color gradients also come to the chats as a gift.
Fewer Tabs
The most radical change is in the main window of Facebook Messenger. Everything is still more or less in the same place, but the tabs on the top disappear. Instead, they merge with the buttons that were already present at the bottom. The floating button disappears and is replaced by a fixed button at the top.
Thus, the previous mess of messages, assets, groups, and calls is simplified into three main tabs: Chats, People and Discover. The first has the list of your active chats, the second is your list of active contacts and the third is the catch-all box in which bots and games enter.
More Colors
Facebook Messenger has long allowed you to customize the appearance of chats using colors and emoticons. That is still available, but now the chat colors are complemented with color gradients.
For now, there are about five gradients available with blue, purple and orange tones. These changes are visible to both participants in the conversation and also apply to the interface, with different tones for the buttons above and below.
Dark Mode
Dark mode is part of this redesign, but it is not yet available. Do not get too wet on Facebook about when it will arrive, announcing that it will be introduced “in the near future“. For now, we have to wait.
It is not necessary to have updated Facebook Messenger to the latest version to have the redesign since it is activated from the server side, but it is always a good idea to force the change if you still do not have it. As always, you can get the latest version on Google Play or the App Store.