Back in 2015, Facebook introduced a feature that allows individual payments for users inside the Messenger app. Now, in the latest upgrade, people will be capable of making payment in group chats, either public or a private one. Users now can perform both individual payments to certain individuals in the group or pay the whole team collectively.
In the same window where users could found features like games, location sharing, and ride requests, now there is the option to perform the group payments. However, now this interface is over since the incorporation of M this month, the new Facebook Messenger assistant.
According to the official press release, this new feature will serve significantly in situations where a group of friends wants to buy a gift for someone or are splitting the bill after going to dinner. Currently, in these cases, people tend to go to other single-payment applications like PayPal, Square Cash and VenMo.
On this issue, now users could use ask in the group for payments. The person only has to introduce the specific amount of money requested or the total sum of money that should be paid by the whole group. Afterward, the person only has to add the title of the application (like for example Brad’s birthday gift) and click the “Request” option.
According to Facebook, every time a person performs a payment there will be a notification visible for all the individuals inside the group. All the specific details of the payments are also watchable by clicking the “Payment Details” option. This service will come at no cost, and a password is not needed for it to be available.
“To make it super simple to keep track of everything, a message will appear in the group conversation showing who has paid. At any time, you can also view the Request Details in full-screen. Coordinating group payments has never been easier,” the official press release reads.
Facebook’s posture regarding payment
Over the years, Facebook has not precisely oriented its efforts in the payment area of business as they have said in the past things like they did not want to convert the Messenger app in a payment tool.
The posture from Facebook has always been off making Messenger a useful tool for users that want to communicate. On this issue, Facebook has intended to make its application competitive, and the inclusion of payment features are one effective way of doing it.
When it comes to competitors, Snapchat and WeChat are among the networks that have already included payment services within its interfaces, and experts admit that currently is a critical feature to have in any online communication tool.
Rumors say Facebook is going to launch digital payment business through India, which could translate into this kind of upgrades being positive for the company and even its partner app WhatsApp.
Source: Facebook Newsroom