Facebook Messenger has a new minimalist design, Dark Mode and Stories highlights

According to a new report by TechCrunch, Facebook is redesigning the interface of the Messenger app and will soon update the iOS platform. The goal is to simplify the user experience, focus on Stories and friends, and cut down on some features.

The strategy of Facebook Messenger a few years ago was to encourage users to communicate with businesses and product brands, through chat bots. The goal is to entice users to make purchases right on the Messenger platform. But now, Facebook is trying to change that strategy.

The new design will completely remove the Discover tab from Messenger. Discover is like a gathering place for chat bots, and allows users to easily access businesses, product brands and game providers. Facebook has been gradually removing games from Messenger since last summer.

TechCrunch says these features are hidden, but not completely removed from Messenger. Users can still access them by searching them in the app's search bar.

The new Messenger interface will only have 2 tabs at the bottom: Chats and People. The Chats tab will still display all recent chats. The People tab will display a list of who's online and your friends' Stories. Stories are highlighted and have a separate area for themselves, enough to see how Facebook values ​​copying from Snapchat.

A Facebook representative said Messenger's new interface will soon be updated for iOS users, then Android users. However, it does not reveal exactly when the update will be.

Reference: 9to5mac