Messenger 4 is a simpler, more colourful version of Facebook’s chat app

Facebook has announced a simpler version of Facebook Messenger, called Messenger 4, will begin rolling out globally.

“We believe Messenger 4 delivers the closeness and authenticity that you’ve been asking for — through simplicity of design and powerful features,” the company said on its website.

Messenger 4 will feature a simplified UI with just three tabs to navigate through, as opposed to the current nine.

Chats, People and Discover

In the Chats tab, you’ll find private and group messages along with the app’s camera feature. In the People tab, you can find your contacts and view their Facebook Stories.

The Discover tab is “where you can connect with businesses to get the latest deals, play Instant Games, book your next vacation, follow the news and more”, Facebook explained.

The new Messenger will also give you a bit more customisability for chats with colour gradients. This means that now, instead of choosing a solid colour, you can choose a combination for your chats to appear in.

Though Messenger 4 is all about simpler usability, most of the original app’s features will remain.

You will still be able to “poll your friends on which movie to see, split the bill for last night’s dinner, share your live location to find friends at a music festival, challenge them to your favourite games, or catch up in a group video chat”, the company reminds.

According to Facebook, the new Messenger will roll out slowly and in stages, with features like Dark Mode and a new interface to reduce screen glare coming first.

Feature image: Facebook