...in Messenger, you don’t need to remember a password, your debit card information is safe and secure, and the service is totally free...
It was back in 2015 when Facebook first allowed Messenger users to pay each other from within the messaging app. Facebook has gradually been improving the features for group chats over the past few months and it’s now bringing the ability to transfer money in group chats to Messenger. The Vice president of messaging products David Marcus said in a Facebook post:
"After launching the existing person-to-person payment solution in Messenger two years ago, we’re very glad to bring you group payments starting today. Splitting the bill, concert tickets, a present for a friend, lodging for a trip or whatever needs to be settled in a group is now easier than ever. And you can do it right in the very place you’re already using to make group plans."
Messenger users on desktop and Android can send or receive money between groups of people on Messenger. The feature is simple, fast, and free. This is going to allow Messenger users to quickly settle a restaurant bill, chip in for a group gift, and more from within their group chat.
To start, simply tap on the plus sign in the bottom left hand corner of a group conversation to find more features, and tap the payments icon ($).
Then choose anyone in the group you would like to send or request funds from and enter the amount per person or the total sum to divide evenly.
Finally, specify what the money is for.
‘As always in Messenger, you don’t need to remember a password, your debit card information is safe and secure, and the service is totally free,’ Facebook shared in the announcement.
The payment icon is position among other features that assist users with tasks such as making decision in a group, requesting rides and location sharing.
All of the features are part of Facebook’s addition of a digital assistant that has been added for US users of Messenger called M, the AI will pop up and suggest 'helpful actions' in the chat window. M uses artificial intelligence and suggests relevant actions to help manage conversations or help get things done, Facebook product managers Laurent Landowski and Kemal El Moujahid said in a blog post.
'We are bringing the power of M's AI technology to support and enhance the Messenger experience and make it more useful, personal and seamless.'
To experience M, simply chat with a friend or a group as you normally would. M may make a suggestion in a conversation relevant to one of the core actions listed above, and then the M logo and suggestion will appear.
M learns: the more you use it, the more it can help. You always have the option to ignore or dismiss a suggestion if it's not helpful, and if you don't want M's assistance you can easily mute it in M settings. M is capable of recognizing intent in a conversation, which allows it to perform a range of different tasks. The AI powered bot shares fun sticker suggestions for your daily life interactions like 'Thank you' or 'Bye-bye.'
It also detects if users are discussing payments and suggests options of easily sending or requesting money. M can suggest an option to share your location during a conversation, and If people are talking about getting together, the AI helps coordinate a plan. And if you and your friends are having a hard time making a decision about where to eat, what movie to see or anything else, M starts a poll so the group can vote. M will also suggests 'Get A Ride' and shares an option of Lyft or Uber if it sees you talking about going somewhere.
Facebook, which has its own artificial intelligence research lab, announced M in 2015 as an experiment, and the expansion to Messenger is another step in the social network's broader AI goals. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has spoken about and created for his own home a personal digital assistant named Jarvis to help him manage his household tasks and play with his family. Samsung is launching its assistant Bixby with its Galaxy S8 smart phones to help the South Korean giant break into a surging market for voice-activated virtual assistants, which includes Apple's Siri, Amazon's
