Facebook has updated the Messenger app with a new set of privacy tools to enable TouchID and Facelock.
Facebook has updated the Messenger app with a new set of privacy tools for Apple devices such as the iPhone and the iPad. The updates include an app lock that will require fingerprint or face authentication to unlock the app as well as a new Privacy settings section that makes it easier to access certain settings and options. This new update is now rolling out for the iPhone and the iPad, and the Messenger App for Android will get similar features in the next few months.
What is it ?
App Lock uses your iPhone’s or iPad’s privacy settings such as Touch ID for fingerprint authentication or Face ID for face authentication to unlock the Messenger app for use. As per Facebook your fingerprint or facial recognition data is never transmitted to them or stored by Facebook.
Facebook also confirms it is working on Instagram-like controls for inbox and calls for Facebook Messenger as well, the testing for which is expected to start soon.
The Privacy section makes it easy to access settings and features like the audience for your stories, muted stories, and blocked people. App Lock and the Privacy section let you tailor your experience and choose settings that work best for you.
Facebook
A New Instagram-like privacy messaging feature in the works is the one that blurs images in the user’s message requests folder when someone they don’t know is trying to send a message. This feature is already available on Instagram and WhatsApp as per the Facebook blog.

Facebook also seems to be working on more controls for inbox and calls on Messenger, which would allow users to pick who can call them or message them directly. This will, in several ways, be similar to the message control features that Instagram already has. The testing for these features will start soon, and the rollout should be expected sometime in the next few months.
Google announced Google Lens camera-based translation feature for KaiOS users in India. The feature phones including the popular JioPhone and JioPhone 2 run on Kai operating system. Google’s translation feature will no longer be limited to smartphones as the company will now make the feature available to JioPhone users and other KaiOS users.