Facebook has announced a raft of new features for its Messenger Platform to help developers increase chatbot capabilities and enhance user engagement and interaction.

The update includes dynamic buttons for quick user replies, customer account linking for businesses, wider support for content types like video and audio, and user ratings and feedback.

facebookmessengerchatbots
Facebook has also announced an updated set of guidelines for bot development, as well as a new resource blog that includes tips, case studies, and a Q&A series with businesses and brands that have already built bots for Messenger.

The new tools and features are set out in more detail below:

  • Ratings: People can now provide a star rating and open text feedback for bot developers. Ratings and reviews are currently shared with only the bot developer through a dashboard in developers.facebook.com and via email.
  • Quick replies: Quick replies offer a more guided experience for people as they interact with your bot, which helps set expectations on what the bot can do. They include up to ten dynamic buttons that directly align with the most recent message sent by the business - making it easier to have an automated conversation with people. They allow for simple state management for developers — no need to manage button taps from ten messages ago — and make chat history cleaner, by only showing the selected responses.
  • Persistent menu: The navigation for your bot with support for up to five actions. This eliminates the need for people to remember text commands and provides a great way to restart the flow or invoke settings. This will help with bot re-engagement and consistency.
  • Account linking: We're launching a secure protocol for businesses to connect their customers' accounts with Messenger accounts, enabling a deeper and more personal experience. People will have to opt in to this experience.
  • More content types: GIFs, Audio, Video, and Files Get your brand's personality across by sending a variety of content types. You can now send GIFs, audio, video, and other files to people using your bot in Messenger. Videos and audio clips play natively in Messenger.
  • More Control: Manage / Mute / Ratings Now, people have even more ways to optimize their experiences with bots in Messenger. People can choose to mute a bot just like they can mute a conversation with their friends and they can also provide a star rating and feedback for bot developers. Ratings and reviews are currently shared with only the bot developer through a dashboard in developers.facebook.com (http://developers.facebook.com) and via email.

Over 11,000 chatbots have been created since Facebook launched bot support for its Messenger app back in April, while over 23,000 developers have signed up to use the company's recently acquired natural language bot engine.

The enhancements to Messenger Platform reflect one of the major goals in Facebook's 10-year roadmap, with Messenger and Live Video receiving the most investment and development over the first five years, followed by the company's increased focus on connectivity, AI, and augmented reality.

Top Rated Comments

CFreymarc Avatar
101 months ago
Do regular people – and I mean not tech enthusiasts – actually use this?
Facebook is having an identity crisis now. The current high school generation is not signing on and going to alternatives such as Snapchat and Instagram. Supposedly their user activity has peaked and they are rolling out features to attract more users. Also the rumored story of them being an intelligence gather tool from the likes of Snowden and such is not helping out at all.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sudo1996 Avatar
101 months ago
So it's like an app within an app. 1-800-Flowers inside the Facebook Messenger app.

But if I'm holding my phone... I can browse their full website. And it's probably a lot easier and richer than a text-based interface.
Right. It's like they're trying to add a command line interface for those with nostalgia for 90s text adventures.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cineplex Avatar
101 months ago
Exciting times in the AI field! Slight shame it's Facebook and Google who are seemingly leading the charge, though. User privacy won't exactly be forefront, and it always makes me think we'll end up with a situation similar to Ex Machina ('http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470752/'). (Fab film if you haven't seen it!)
If Facebooks AI became self aware it would probably destroy Facebook realizing just how bad for society it is.

AIM had chatbots. Big deal!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
101 months ago
So it's like an app within an app. 1-800-Flowers inside the Facebook Messenger app.

But if I'm holding my phone... I can browse their full website. And it's probably a lot easier and richer than a text-based interface.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vanilla35 Avatar
101 months ago
Do regular people – and I mean not tech enthusiasts – actually use this?
I haven't, and I'd consider myself a tech enthusiast. So I'm guessing not.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...