Recent reports suggest Facebook will soon update its Messenger to add support for third-party apps in a bid to compete with the successful messaging apps like WeChat and Line.
According to a report on technology website TechCrunch, the social networking giant will announce about 20 third-party services whose apps will work on top of Messenger when the integration rolls out. The report did not mention the names of the early partners.
“At first, Facebook will focus on how third parties can build ways for content and information to flow through Messenger. Depending on the success of the early experiments, Facebook may then mull bringing more utilities to Messenger,” the TechCrunch report reads.
Facebook is expected to announce the news at its F8 Developer Conference scheduled to be held this week in San Francisco, California.
Recently, the Mark Zuckerberg-run company updated its Messenger app with a new feature which will let users send and receive money through the app itself. The new payments feature will let messaging app users connect their Visa or Mastercard debit card and send money by tapping the “$” button.
The free feature will roll out over the next few months for users in the United States and will be accessible on the desktop Android and iOS devices.
