Facebook has announced several new features for Messenger that should make the messaging application even more interactive.
First, the app adds the ability to react to messages in one-on-one or group chats. Pressing and holding any message brings up the love, smile, wow, sad, angry, yes, and no emojis, which can then be applied to the highlighted message. These same reactions are already available for news feed items. Participants in the conversation will be alerted when their messages receive a reaction, such as notifications on the lock screen.
Messenger also gains the ability to mention specific people in a group chat by using an @reply construction. Using the @ symbol and then a participant’s Facebook name calls them out specifically within a conversation. Like the reactions, @replies added to messages will generate notifications for those mentioned in the thread.
The new tools are reaching Facebook Messenger for Android and iOS in the days ahead.
