A new addition to the Messenger interface now allows users to split up payments amongst themselves, effectively managing to conduct online transactions with ease.
So, everyone’s familiar with Venmo, right? The social media app that will only allow users to post on their walls if said post is accompanied with a financial transaction of some sort. Wow, that does sound like an app that some out of touch engineering students came up with, which is exactly what happened. Either way, my sarcasm is hardly effective since Venmo as a platform is doing rather well for itself. Of course it’s nowhere near the likes of Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, but I suspect that much of that stems from users just not being comfortable with detailing financial transactions and the reasons that they happened in the first place. No one wants to advertise just how much their electricity bill costs; it’s just so much easier to use Venmo and then actively avoid posting on the platform or using any of its other social media aspects entirely. So, what would be better than a Venmo? A platform that allows those same financial transactions, but without the public trumpeting.
That’s exactly what Meta is providing to its userbase with this new feature being added to Messenger. Now, users can easily pay each other and split bills up using a new tool being referred to as Split Payments. With Split Payments, users can easily divide costs and pay for them on the spot, so long as all associated parties have Messenger and have entered their necessary financial details. This feature has been under beta testing for quite a while, with Meta having only now released it officially. Even then, only US residents can currently access the feature, with Split Payments rolling out to other regions at a slow, steady pace.
The process itself isn’t particularly difficult; it requires that all contributing parties first be added to a Messenger group. From there, clicking on the plus icon will allow a user to set up Split Payments. Enter the amount of money being split, specify the users that its being split amongst, and they will all then receive a message specifying the exact amount each individual has to pay. If they haven’t entered their card details, Split Payments will allow them to do so on the spot, further adding to the convenience that the new feature brings.
Read next: Meta’s Oversight Board Wants The Tech Giant To Fortify Its Policies On Doxing Across Its Social Media Platforms
So, everyone’s familiar with Venmo, right? The social media app that will only allow users to post on their walls if said post is accompanied with a financial transaction of some sort. Wow, that does sound like an app that some out of touch engineering students came up with, which is exactly what happened. Either way, my sarcasm is hardly effective since Venmo as a platform is doing rather well for itself. Of course it’s nowhere near the likes of Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, but I suspect that much of that stems from users just not being comfortable with detailing financial transactions and the reasons that they happened in the first place. No one wants to advertise just how much their electricity bill costs; it’s just so much easier to use Venmo and then actively avoid posting on the platform or using any of its other social media aspects entirely. So, what would be better than a Venmo? A platform that allows those same financial transactions, but without the public trumpeting.
That’s exactly what Meta is providing to its userbase with this new feature being added to Messenger. Now, users can easily pay each other and split bills up using a new tool being referred to as Split Payments. With Split Payments, users can easily divide costs and pay for them on the spot, so long as all associated parties have Messenger and have entered their necessary financial details. This feature has been under beta testing for quite a while, with Meta having only now released it officially. Even then, only US residents can currently access the feature, with Split Payments rolling out to other regions at a slow, steady pace.
The process itself isn’t particularly difficult; it requires that all contributing parties first be added to a Messenger group. From there, clicking on the plus icon will allow a user to set up Split Payments. Enter the amount of money being split, specify the users that its being split amongst, and they will all then receive a message specifying the exact amount each individual has to pay. If they haven’t entered their card details, Split Payments will allow them to do so on the spot, further adding to the convenience that the new feature brings.
Read next: Meta’s Oversight Board Wants The Tech Giant To Fortify Its Policies On Doxing Across Its Social Media Platforms