14 DAY TRIAL // The people at 9to5mac have it on good authority that Facebook is actively developing an iPad client for its Messenger service, “with new builds being readied often.”
Tipped off by an unnamed source, the site says Facebook Messenger for iPad is nothing more than a larger version of the iPhone application, with a few optimizations here and there for the bigger screen.
Users will get one-to-one messaging, group chatting, push notifications, the ability to see friend locations on a map, and the rest of the features available in the existing iPhone client.
Speaking of which, the people at Facebook are actively working on an update for the iPhone Messenger client with plans to add Skype video chat support.
Both the brand new iPad app and the updated iPhone app are reportedly “on-track for a launch sometime this summer, with testing happening right now on Facebook’s internal servers.”
There’s a good chance Facebook will roll out a single universal app suitable for all iOS platforms.
On the iTunes App Store, Facebook describes its Messenger app saying “Facebook Messenger is a faster way to send mobile messages to friends. With Messenger, you can send and receive messages with any of your friends around the world.”
The key features include:
• Send messages instantly to other friends who have Messenger • Chat with friends who are on Facebook • Get free push notifications for incoming messages • Attach location and photos to messages • Access sent and received messages on both Messenger and Facebook • Create group conversations for making plans on the go • Add more friends to group conversations at any time • Control alert and location settings for each conversation
Last updated March 19, Facebook Messenger for iPhone offers a faster way to start conversations, even easier ways to start group conversations, and support for 10 new languages.