14 DAY TRIAL // An updated flavor of the Facebook Messenger application is now available for download for the owners of Android-based devices out there, namely version 5.0.
The new app iteration arrives on devices only a few days after Facebook updated the iOS mobile client, and it is set to provide users with a nice range of enhancements over the previously available variant.
Following the installation of the new application iteration, users will be able to send photos, voice messages and more much easier than before, Facebook notes in the release notes published in the Google Play Store.
Moreover, the new app release allows users to easily send videos from their gallery app, while also enabling them to play them right in the app.
This feature, however, is currently available only on devices running under the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and higher platform releases. According to Facebook, it will be pushed to more devices in the not-too-distant future.
Other enhancements in Facebook Messenger 5.0 for Android include the possibility to snap a photo and send it to your contacts faster, with only one tap.
For that, simply open a chat with one of your contacts, and you’ll see a new button at the bottom of the screen that allows you to take an instant photo.
Taping on it will open the front camera, so that you could send a selfie, but users can also switch to the back camera on their handsets, if they want to.
This feature is available in all chat windows next to options such as upload a photo, insert a sticker, voice message and the like.
Following the installation of the new Facebook Messenger app for Android, users will also be able to get an entire pack of stickers easier than before. When someone sends a sticker, simply press and hold down on it to receive the entire pack.
According to Facebook, the new flavor of their Messenger for Android should also provide users with the possibility to search for contacts faster than before. Users can also search for groups.
The rest of the application’s capabilities remain unchanged, which means that users will continue to enjoy fast communication with their friends over the social network, all without having to launch the full Facebook client for Android.
Facebook Messenger for Android also allows users to continue chatting with their contacts even when they are in other applications, record voice messages, and make free calls.
You can download Facebook Messenger 5.0 for Android from Softpedia today. The application is compatible with all devices running under Android 2.2 and up.