Facebook could soon integrate its Messenger with WhatsApp

By Ashika Rajan, Trainee Reporter
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Social media giant Facebook has begun work on integrating Facebook Messenger with Instagram Direct Messages (DMs) and WhatsApp.

Last year, the company successfully merged Facebook Messenger with Instagram’s DMs, and now it has taken the first step toward integrating WhatsApp into the mix.

Italian code-digger Mr. Alessandro Paluzzi found a WhatsApp chat hidden inside the Facebook Messenger code. Although it is currently not possible to integrate WhatsApp with Facebook Messenger, Mr. Paluzzi has forced a thread to identify it as a WhatsApp chat, which will serve as a preview for when the feature is available after the integration is full.

The report added that, when the feature is released, the integration between Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp will be optional. Instagram and Facebook, which are both operated by Facebook, had a similar implementation that allowed users to select whether or not they wanted to merge their chats between the two platforms.

According to WABetaInfo, some features that have already been introduced on Facebook Messenger are expected to make their way to WhatsApp. The report further added that the feature is still being tested for iOS.

The company has not confirmed when the final WhatsApp and Messenger integration will take place. The integration of Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs, and WhatsApp is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, but it will undoubtedly take some time before it is accessible to all users worldwide.

Last year, Facebook integrated Messenger with Instagram DMs. The feature allows users to accept messages from Facebook Messenger on Instagram and respond from Instagram without having to switch apps, and vice versa. Users can also choose whether or not to accept messages and calls in their message requests.

Related: Child safety groups urge Facebook to drop Instagram for Kids

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