The near-universal access to the internet and the fact that practically every social media service offers private messaging means that "traditional" SMS messages are taking a backseat. 👥 Messenger is definitely at the forefront of this, having grown into one of the primary methods of daily communication. You probably know it well, but do you know all of its hidden capabilities and settings? 🕵️♀️ Check below!
Sending messages, GIFs, multimedia – let's assume this is the basic knowledge of an average Messenger user. 📚 What else can you do? To be clear: the tips mentioned below are genuine app functions – we're not serving up black magic, hacking, and we're staying in compliance with the law.
Visibility to others 👁️
Nothing is more annoying than a message that has been read but has received no reply. The level of nerves definitely increases when it turns out that the person you're expecting a reaction from is clearly online (as indicated by the green status next to their profile picture). 🟢 To avoid these mistakes yourself – the most effective weapon will be hiding your visibility in Messenger settings. Specifically, in account settings.
How to do it?
Click on your profile picture in the top left corner of the screen -> Activity Status -> Then turn off the Show when you're active option.
Super secret mode 🤐
If you want to take your conversations to the next level of secrecy, or if you're worried that the conversation might be read by "unauthorized" people later, then the best option will be to send encrypted messages. 🔢
How to do it?
Simply go to the profile (on Messenger) of the person you intend to conspire and gossip with, then in the menu select Go to secret conversation. 🥷🏽 That's it! If you start this mode, you can set messages to disappear after a specified time. The maximum visibility time is one day.
Free yourself from your phone – Messenger desktop version 🖥️
This might not be a hidden option or elaborate tinkering with Messenger settings, but if you're having intense conversations, your battery is running low, and you don't want to be tied to an outlet, then… you can always switch to the desktop version. You'll find the application for both Microsoft and macOS computers. The address? messenger.com
Let them hear you – voice messages in Messenger 🔊
Similarly to the above – if you're tired of typing standard messages on your phone's keyboard, and the anecdote you've decided to tell will sound best with the right intonation – then definitely switch to voice messages. 👄 Simply press the microphone next to the message menu to start recording.
See also: Apps for recording phone calls
But let them not hear you – deleting messages in Messenger ✉️🔥
Specifically, let them not see what you've sent in a text message. If you mistyped the recipient, or decided that the meme you sent violates good manners, aesthetics, or other sensitive issues – you can cancel the message without hesitation. 🙊 Of course, this assumes your recipient isn't actively participating in the chat and hasn't seen the unfortunate photo/message before you take action. In any case: you can unsend a message (or rather: delete it) up to 10 minutes after sending it. Simply long-press on the message until the options menu appears.
Super privacy, but like 50% – disappearing messages mode 👻
If the gossip/confidential information isn't that hot, then a substitute for encrypted messages can be the disappearing messages mode. All sent multimedia/texts will disappear after closing the app. 💨 You can do all of this analogously to encrypted messages – i.e., by selecting the person's profile and then selecting disappearing messages mode. Remember, however, to turn it off when you want to switch back to a "standard conversation."
Shared remote sessions 🍿
Since remote work has become the new standard, why should shared viewing sessions be any different? 🎥 Thanks to the ability to create shared rooms in Messenger, you gain practically another space for group video calls, as well as playing games together or the aforementioned watching movies.
Stalking, but the positive kind – sharing location in Messenger 📍
If you constantly have trouble finding each other at a meeting spot or are still waiting for that one late friend and want to track how quickly they're approaching their destination, Messenger can help with that too. 🗺️ Thanks to the location sharing option, you can see the exact position of a person who has shared it, or you can provide detailed information about your own location.
Did we miss anything? Which feature do you use most often? 🧰 Let us know in the comments!
