Facebook has just launched a nice-looking update to its Messages feature, introducing a two-pane layout that makes for a cleaner way to use the service. There’s also support for multiple photos and a set of keyboard shortcuts.
The changes mirror some of the features that have only been available in Messenger for iOS and Android until now. The two-pane configuration makes for easier browsing of your list, while maintaining an open thread of conversation. Each of your conversations is essentially turned into a mini-timeline of posts, mimicking the main interface quite well.
The old interface was an incredibly lame set of window-spanning single messages that you had to click on to see conversations, so this is an enormous improvement.
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You can still search for names and keywords from the box at the top left of the interface, letting you dig through your list of messages. A set of keyboard shortcuts have been added as well and you can see the list by hitting Cntrl + Q on a Mac or Alt + Q on a PC.
It’s notable that Facebook is now calling the web version of Messages “Web Messenger“. Not in the body of the post, but that’s what the screenshot is called. Perhaps this heralds a name change for the product to ‘Messenger’ to match the other versions of the app on mobile. Update: Facebook says that this is a simple screenshot naming error.
The feature appears to be rolling out today, as some users are reporting that the don’t have the new interface yet.
Image: Goiaba via Flickr
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