The most popular social network on the planet has recently introduced a Messenger feature that’s basically a carbon copy of Snapchat Stories. It’s called Messenger Day and has recently debuted in Poland, TechCrunch reports. Its name isn’t a reference to its availability but refers to the fact that photos and video content posted with Messenger Day disappear after 24 hours. In addition to that, all of the posted content can be modified with various filters. The gallery below showcases some screenshots of this feature.
It’s no secret that Facebook has been impressed with Snapchat for a long time. Ever since it tried to purchase it for $3 billion in 2013, the Menlo Park-based company experimented with a number of features and standalone apps inspired by Snapchat’s successful video-sharing formula. Slingshot and Instagram Stories are a couple of more notable examples of such efforts though it’s worth pointing out that Messanger Day is a bit more original in regards to its very concept. Namely, the feature organizes the aforementioned photo and video filters as suggestions for content you want to share and the entire user interface is actually designed to give you an idea about what to post. Among other things, Messanger Day suggests that you show how you’re feeling, what you’re doing, and what you’re about to do. The news feed is also organized in a similar manner so you can specifically see how your friends answered to these prompts or just browse random stuff.
When asked about Messenger Day, Facebook’s representatives simply stated that they’re currently testing a way to help people share their everyday moments with their loved ones through Messenger because the company believes that’s currently one of the main activities of Messenger users. While there’s no guarantee Messenger Day will ever see the light of phone screens outside of Poland, sources speculate that Facebook decided to test it in the Eastern European country precisely because Snapchat isn’t that popular over there. In other words, the tech giant is likely trying to see whether it can ennoble its own app with a feature similar to Snapchat Stories while possibly attracting potential Snapchat users in the process. In any case, given that it’s a Messenger feature and not a standalone app like Slingshot was, Messenger Day probably has a better chance to catch on than its spiritual predecessor.
