Facebook makes it easier to message strangers

This might be a boon or a bane for you but an upcoming Facebook Messenger feature will give you access to messages from people you aren’t Facebook friends with. Before, when you get messages from people you aren’t friends with, these messages get relegated to the Other section of your inbox. You also don’t get notifications for these. The new Message Requests feature will have these messages show up on Messenger as a message request. You can read the message and choose to respond to it or not, without the other person knowing. If you use Facebook to network, this might help you out. The feature is rolling out in the coming days.

Source: Mashable

Facebook rolls out Instant Articles to all iOS users

We all know that Facebook as a social network and tech platform is one of the biggest in the world. They have been trying to host content directly on their app to keep users on their platform. One of their initiatives is the Instant Articles feature. It lets its users read full news articles right on the app. Facebook promises this loads articles faster than if you open the full story in a browser. The company has now officially rolled it out to all iOS users. There will be a lightning bolt located at the top right of the image to indicate it’s an Instant Article.

Facebook is also offering publishers the ability to add interactive features (like video, slideshows, geotagged images linked to a map) into these Instant Articles. With this wide rollout, Facebook added more partners to this project. You can read Instant Articles from the likes of The New York Times, National Geographic, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, MTV, Time, Rolling Stone, and many more.

Source: MacWorld

Facebook's 'On This Day' feature now helps you filter out unwanted memories

A loss of a loved one, a failed relationship, these are some things you don't want to be reminded of. But Facebook's "On This Day" feature can sometimes unearth unpleasant memories. Thankfully, you now have more control to filter some of these out. The feature gets new options that lets you either filter out specific people or dates or both of these. This will prevent any posts, photos, statuses you've been tagged in, date you friended someone, and big life events that involve these people. 

Source: SlashGear  

Facebook Messenger comes to the Apple Watch

Facebook releases a sizeable update for its Messenger app including a native Apple Watch app and support for iOS 9 features. The Apple Watch app lets you view and respond to conversations and send stickers right from the wearable. Messenger app also now supports the split-screen feature for the iPad. Also, all iOS 9 devices can show contacts and conversations on the Proactive Spotlight screens.

Source: 9to5Mac | Download: iTunes App Store (Free)