Meta; ceasing cross-message functionality between Facebook and Instagram in the middle of December.
In September 2020, Meta introduced cross-app messaging, enabling communication between Facebook and Instagram users, irrespective of their chosen platform.
Just over three years later, this feature is now set to be discontinued.
Recent updates to Instagram and Facebook’s support documents indicate that this service will cease to exist from mid-December onward. After the shutdown, Instagram users will no longer be able to initiate new conversations with Facebook accounts, and vice versa.
All ongoing conversations with users on the opposite platform will transition to a read-only format.
Additionally, users on the other platform will lose the ability to view your active status and determine whether you have read their previous messages or not.
The functionality had the potential to be an exclusive feature for Meta, and there were speculations about WhatsApp being the next platform for integration. However, this integration would have further intertwined the Meta-owned entities, making it challenging to navigate a potential split between the companies.
It’s also plausible that the feature did not garner the anticipated level of usage, leading Meta to decide to shut it down and reallocate resources elsewhere.
In other developments related to Meta, the company has joined forces with IBM to establish responsible AI alliances, a move that comes approximately two months after dismantling its own responsible AI team.
