Facebook Messenger could soon allow you to use your voice to dictate and send messages, initiate voice calls and create reminders. The Messenger code for Android reveals a new M button at the top of the message thread screen that activates the listening of voice commands for those functionalities. Voice control could make Messenger easier to use with hands-free or while driving, more accessible for people with vision or dexterity problems and, perhaps one day, easier for international users whose native languages are difficult to write .
Facebook Messenger was previously detected to test the voice transcription as part of the Aloha voice assistant that is believed to be part of the next video chat screen device of the Facebook portal. But the voice commands in the M assistant are new and show an evolution in the Facebook strategy since his former Messenger boss, David Marcus, told me that the voice "is not something we're working on right now" in September 2016 on the TechCrunch Disrupt stage. 19659003] The prototype was discovered by star star TechCrunch tipster Jane Manchun Wong who had previously discovered the prototypes of Instagram Video Calling, the digital wellness control panel on the Facebook screen and the scooter rental of Lyft before its official launch. When contacted to comment, a Facebook Messenger spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that Facebook is internally testing the voice command function. They told TechCrunch: "We often experience new experiences in Messenger with employees. We have nothing more to share at this time. "
Messenger is eager to differentiate itself from SMS, Snapchat, Android messages and other text messaging platforms.The application has aggressively adopted visual communication features such as Facebook Stories, Augmented reality filters and more.Wong today detected the creation of Messenger prototypes with augmented reality camera effects that are incorporated into the GIF menu, Stickers and Emoji in the message editor, Facebook confirms that it is now in tests with a small percentage of users of Messenger.
Facebook has discovered that users do not like bells and whistles, such as access to the camera or chat games, so Facebook plans to bury them more in a simplified next redesign Messenger. But voice controls add pure utility without obstructing Messenger's core value proposition and could end up doing that users talk more if they are finally implemented.
