Facebook started testing a new Messenger interface that puts a significantly larger focus on Instant Games than the existing one, several users who were affected by the redesign are reporting. The Menlo Park-based social media giant started rolling out the change to select users on Thursday, though it’s currently unclear how many of the company’s customers are encompassed by the initial rollout of the new design, though the changes are reportedly only available to users of the main Messenger Android app. While the firm’s instant messaging (IM) solution received an update through the Google Play Store on Wednesday, it seems that the new user interface is showing up for some users due to a server-side switch. According to latest reports, not all people seeing the redesigned version of Messenger are on the app’s beta channel, though at least some are. Likewise, it seems that Facebook is experimenting with the new interface in more countries than just the United States.
Following the company’s rollout, affected users have lost the Active Now section of the main Messenger interface and instead see a more streamlined list of conversations, while their active contacts are now only populating the Active tab. The latter was already live for some users, though the primary Messages tab was still showing an excerpt of one’s currently active contacts, which isn’t the case with the latest redesign. Finally, the Messenger app now boasts a Games section that provides users with a quick way to access the collection of Instant Games hosted by the platform. The shortcut leading to this section is located in the bottom-right corner of the user interface, taking place of the Settings icon that has now been moved immediately to the right of the middle Camera button.
There’s still no word on when the new Messenger interface will be live for everyone, but given the sheer amount of users that have already been affected by the redesign, it seems that Facebook is planning to distribute the change globally in the near future. More details regarding the availability of the latest version of Messenger will likely follow soon.
