Any user of this social network knows that Instagram messages are not, the truth, his strong point. I’m not saying they are wrong and, what’s more, I myself use them regularly to communicate with some people. They are… well, a basic function, which covers the file by offering something that is necessary in a service of this type, and that you cannot blame for anything except, perhaps, that the day they made it they had run out of salt. And yes, yes, I know there are worse, just look at Twitter. At least Instagram messages allow you to use voice messages … even if only from the app for devices, not from its web interface.
And that’s another, the differences between the web and apps. Just yesterday, without going any further, I received a temporary message. In case you don’t know it, it is a function of Instagram messages by which you can send a text, image, etc., which can only be seen a specific number of times and for a certain time. The problem is that I was having that conversation from PC so, yes, indeed, I had no choice but to switch to my mobile to be able to see that content, since these types of messages cannot be viewed from the web interface.
That is why the news that publishes The Verge today It causes me mixed feelings. I’m talking about the fact that it has already begun to be deployed, in the apps for iOS and Android, the option to merge Instagram messages with Facebook Messenger. A change that should not surprise anyone, in fact, except in any case for how late has been the movement by Facebook to continue extending the tentacles of Facebook Messenger for the rest of the services operated by the company, something that already We have seen with its integration of video conference calls in WhatsApp, and what it actually does is integrate this function of its messenger into WhatsApp.
Now, one thing is that it was something predictable, which it was, and quite another is the fit that this change will have. As I mentioned before, I know some people with whom I communicate regularly through Instagram messages and, mostly do not use Facebook. Which I know may sound like a somewhat forced position, given that Instagram has been owned by Facebook for years, but I can still understand their position, since Instagram is not, or at least it does not seem, as intrusive a service as the social network.
I just updated the Instagram app to the latest version and, at least for me, this function does not seem to be available yet, so it is understood that the deployment will be progressive. Also, based on images posted by The Verge, for now the integration of Instagram messages in Facebook Messenger is optional. The problem is that, without knowing anything at all, I do worry that this option is temporary, that sooner or later it will end up forcing users to make this change. And I am afraid that the response from the community might not be too friendly.
And what about the mixed feelings you mentioned at the beginning? Well, because, unlike other communication services and functions, such as Instagram messages, Facebook does seem to have made a significant effort to unify the experience across all platforms. Obviously they cannot offer exactly the same functions on PC as on smartphone, but in general the experience is much more uniform. And although, and it is known, I am not exactly a fan of Facebook, it does not hurt me to recognize the things it does well.
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