Facebook Messenger is getting simpler again. Facebook reduces the app to its main function, writing messages, and removes unnecessary ballast. The Discover tab flies out – including chatbots and games. The redesign starts this week.

Facebook Messenger got more and more functions over the years, but it also moved away from what it was originally: a chat app. The Discover tab increasingly housed business-focused elements that almost made Messenger a text-based customer service. Stan Chudnovsky, the new boss of Facebook Messenger, now wants to reverse this development and reduce Facebook Messenger to its core element, reports The Verge .

Communication and stories – nothing more

The Discover tab flies out completely, leaving only the Chat and People tabs. In the tab "People" there is now a list with the current Facebook stories of the friends as well as a list of all contacts. Friends who are particularly active in Facebook Messenger appear at the top of the list. The message history is still in the chat tab.

Chinese users love chatbots

Facebook introduced chatbots in 2017 to facilitate communication between users and companies, offer customer services and build an e-commerce platform. The Discovery or Discover tab, in which these services were housed, offered little useful functions for the release and it quickly became clear that the company would probably fail with this strategy.

Facebook may have wanted to copy the Chinese messenger WeChat with the chatbots. The bots are very well received by Chinese users and in addition to the possibility of communication, WeChat offers many other functions such as reservations in restaurants, shopping opportunities and social games. So far, Western users seem to have little interest in such functions.