Facebook Links Instagram and Messenger

By Matt Grossman

Facebook Inc. plans to integrate the messaging services of its Messenger and Instagram apps, allowing users of two of its largest platforms to communicate more easily, the social-media company said Wednesday.

The main change, the company said, is that Messenger and Instagram users will be able to reach each other. Instagram users will still be able to interact with each other within the app, Facebook said.

Currently, Messenger serves as the direct messaging app for Facebook users, while Instagram has had its own direct messaging service. As the change is rolled out, Instagram users will be able to opt to update immediately to use the new functionality, Facebook said. The update to Messenger also includes a vanish mode, which allows users to set messages to disappear automatically after they are seen.

The changes will make it easier for users to keep track of conversations across Facebook's platforms, the company said. Its research shows one-third of people sometimes find it difficult to remember where a certain thread is.

The move represents a significant step toward uniting Facebook's social-media properties. Last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Federal Trade Commission was considering a preliminary injunction against Facebook to prevent it from tying its products too closely lest federal regulators try to break up the company.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri and Messenger head Stan Chudnovsky said in a post on Facebook's corporate website that the integration would be rolled out in a few countries initially, with a broader global expansion planned soon.

In addition to Messenger, Instagram and its namesake social-media platform, Facebook also owns WhatsApp, an app-based chatting platform that reached two billion active users earlier this year.

Write to Matt Grossman at matt.grossman@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 30, 2020 14:29 ET (18:29 GMT)

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