Facebook just gave a sneak peak at a big makeover coming to Messenger

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Facebook just gave a sneak peak at a big makeover coming to Messenger

Facebook F8 2018

Business Insider

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  • Facebook Messenger is getting a redesign that simplifies the app.
  • The social media giant is also launching a feature that translates between English and Spanish and vice-versa.

Facebook Messenger is getting a big redesign, making the app less complicated and cluttered.

The revamp streamlines the social media giant's standalone messaging app by ditching a dedicated tab for games and camera and focusing on communication, including new features that translate messages in different languages and bring augmented reality to online shopping.

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In an announcement at Facebook's developer's conference F8 on Tuesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg he wants to make the experience using the app "clean" and "fast." The slimmed down app looks similar to iMessage, and eliminates some of the buttons and tabs that made the app seem cluttered.

David Marcus Facebook Messenger F8 2018

F8/Business Insider

The company also announced that Messenger will be getting some basic language translating capabilities. Buyers and sellers connected through Facebook's Marketplace will have the option of using Messenger's intelligent bot to translate messages from English to Spanish, and vice-versa. The company eventually plans to expand to other languages.

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Additionally, Facebook announced that Messenger is getting a feature that allows companies to show users products in augmented reality before they buy them. The first four companies participating in the closed beta test are ASUS, Kia, Nike, and Sephora.

"In two short years, we've seen the Platform go from zero to where we are today, and we still feel like we're just getting started. Messenger is gaining momentum at scale as we continue to invest in new platform features," David Marcus, VP of Facebook Messenger, said on stage.

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