FACEBOOK Messenger has added a handy new way to contact your pals in secret.
“Silent replies” are messages that you can send without a notification.
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It means the message drops into your chat without an alert popping up on the recipient’s phone or PC.
It’s one of a handful of texting tools you can activate using new keyboard shortcuts rolling out to Messenger users worldwide.
Meta, the company that owns Facebook, announced the new “command system” in a blog post on Tuesday.
The firm described the tool as a way to “help supercharge your messaging efficiency.”
“Whether you want to notify everyone in a chat of an important announcement or pay a friend back for lunch … Messenger’s new shortcuts will get you there in the shortest number of keystrokes.”
Messenger shortcuts are combinations of keys that provide quick access to a particular function.
For instance, you’re probably aware that you can type the @ key followed by someone’s name to tag them in a chat.
New shortcuts expand those available on Messenger to three, allowing you to tag everyone in a chat or send silent replies.
When you start a message with @everyone, all participants in the chat will be notified.
According to Meta, the prompt is “perfect for group reminders, impromptu get-togethers or when you need to… crowdsource an answer to a time-sensitive question.”
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It ensures that your message gets maximum exposure, and nobody misses out.
Next up is silent replies, which you activate with the shortcut /silent.
Meta said: “Sending a message with /silent removes the anxiety of interrupting someone with a non-urgent pop-up notification or disturbing them during their off-hours.
“Now, you can share those late-night epiphanies in the moment without disturbing the peace, and your friends can read your message at their leisure.”
Notify-all and silent replies are available now on iOS and Android.
Meta said that it is working on other shortcuts that are “coming soon” to Messenger.
One, /pay, allows you to quickly sent or request money from your friends. It will only be available in the U.S. to start with.
Another coming exclusively to iOS lets you quickly send a GIF reaction. The shortcut is /gif.
And finally, you’ll be able to quickly type out the old-school text-based tableflip “(╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻” and shrug “¯\_(ツ)_/¯” emoticons.
They’ll be available through the shortcuts /shrug & /tableflip.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
