Facebook says it’s testing a way for users to receive, read and respond to their SMS-based conversations in its Messenger application for mobile devices.
The feature, which would be optional if broadly rolled out, could help to shift users away from their default texting application and see them increasing their time spent Facebook Messenger instead.
Also new is added support for using Messenger with multiple accounts – a feature designed for those who shared devices.
The fact that Facebook may now be considering bringing SMS support back to Messenger lines up with the company’s previously announced vision statement for 2016, which included plans to make the phone number disappear, the company had said.