Facebook has been keen on borrowing features from Snapchat as of late and it’s testing yet another one in Poland. The so-called “Messenger Day” tool allows Facebook Messenger users to share a collection of photos and videos with friends that will disappear in 24 hours. And yes, they can be decorated with text, scribbles, stickers and more just like you can do with Snapchat Stories. If you’ll recall, Facebook reportedly tried to buy Snapchat for $3 billion before getting turned down in 2013.
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The social network is no stranger to the Snapchat-like feature. Instagram announced its own “Stories” tool back in August, and similar to “Messenger Day,” those slideshows of snapshots and videos are no longer available for followers to view after 24 hours. Facebook recently added “Instant Video” to Messenger as well, a feature that allows users to share videos in an on-going conversation quickly and easily. That video tool is another option that’s similar to something Snapchat offers its users. Facebook says that “Messenger Day” is currently only in testing among a small group of users in Poland.
“We know that people come to Messenger to share everyday moments with friends and family,” A Messenger Spokesperson told Engadget. “In Poland we are running a small test of new ways for people to share those updates visually. We have nothing more to announce at this time.”
It’s common practice for companies to test new features with a small group before making the final call on when or if the tools will be part of a wider roll out. As is the case with any beta process, there’s no guarantee “Messenger Day” will be available for all users in the future. However, adding something similar to “Stories” to the messaging app makes a lot of sense. A lot of people around the world are using it to communicate, so making the slideshow feature part of the app rather than a piece of standalone software would leverage that existing user base.