No More Calculators Needed! Messenger Now Has A Split Payment Feature

Meta also launched Split Payk feature. ment on Messenger. (photo: doc. Messenger)

JAKARTA - Along with the launch of Instagram's new security feature, Meta also launched the Split Payment feature in Messenger, for all users on iOS and Android.

The company began testing the feature late last year as a way for users to share billing and expenses through the app.

Meta sees this new feature as a quick way to handle finances through Messenger. With personalized messages, users can confirm payment details and send requests.

To use the Split Payment feature, users need to click the Get Started button in the group chat or the payments tab in Messenger. From here, users can split the bill evenly or change the contribution amount for each individual in the group chat, either with or without the user himself.

Then, users will be asked to confirm their Facebook Pay details, after which their request will be sent and viewable in the group chat thread. Meta states that friends new to payments in Messenger can easily add payment details to send and receive money.

"If you've been struggling with sharing (and getting paid back for) dinners at your gathering, shared household expenses or even monthly rent, it's going to get easier," Meta said in his official blog post, as quoted by TechCrunch, Wednesday, 10 February.

Unfortunately this feature is only available for users in the United States (US). It's not known for sure if Meta plans to roll it out globally.

The launch of Split Payment comes as Messenger added QR codes such as Venmo for person-to-person payments last summer. The QR code was launched in the US and allows anyone to send or request money via Facebook Pay, even if they are not Facebook friends. This feature can be accessed in the payments section of Messenger settings.

Facebook Pay first launched in November 2019, as a way to build a payment system that extends across the company's apps not just for person-to-person payments, but for other things like donations and e-commerce.

Furthermore, Messenger is also rolling out new voicemail recording controls, bringing the ability to pause, preview, delete, or resume voicemail recordings before sending them.

The feature is very similar to the one that was just launched on WhatsApp. Not only that, Facebook Messenger also increases the duration of voice messages from one minute to up to 30 minutes.

Then there are Disappearing Messages which were just introduced with Vanish Mode, "With Vanish Mode, your messages disappear as soon as they are seen. And if you can't find the right words, you can also send memes, GIFs, stickers, or reactions that disappear," said Meta.

To activate Vanish mode, open the existing chat thread on your mobile device and swipe up. Swipe up again, and go back to normal chat. It's important to note that all messages on Facebook Messenger can be end-to-end encrypted, including with this feature.