Life

Why Does Facebook Messenger Look Different?

by Emma Cueto

Facebook has been rolling out some big changes to their messaging function, so why does Facebook Messenger look different all of a sudden? Well, turns out the redesign is aimed at making everything more functional. Though it may take a little while to get used to.

Facebook first started introducing the new look for Messenger on Thursday, but updates on Facebook usually take a few days to reach to everyone, so if your Facebook Messenger still looks the same, don't worry. Everything will change for you soon enough.

The new Facebook Messenger look is meant to reorganize your inbox based on how people actually use the service. "Up until now, most inbox experiences haven’t kept up with the new ways people connect," Facebook explained in a release. "So, we’ve been thinking about how we can make it simpler and easier to find what you want to start a conversation."

The new version includes different sections for your recent contacts, your favorite contacts, the people currently online, and even a section for your friends' birthdays. This way, you not only know who you can talk with, but you can more easily find recent conversations and the people you'd rather talk to. The birthday thing might be a bit superfluous — does Facebook not think they do a thorough enough job of reminding us about people's birthdays already? Because I disagree with that wholeheartedly — but overall, it should make Facebook Messenger a lot easier to use.

So if you have Facebook Messenger and you're not sure why everything just rearranged itself, that's why — and hopefully it works.

"With these updates, we’re aiming to make Messenger simpler to use by presenting more relevant information," Facebook says. "We look forward to building even more ways to make using Messenger better in the future."