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Facebook's Messenger App: The 7 Features It's Missing

The 7 Things That Really Bug Us About Facebook's New App
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When it's not quietly compiling your phone number and the phone numbers of all your friends, the Facebook Messenger app is pretty darn useful.

Facebook Messenger was released for iPhone and Android on August 9th, and despite some privacy concerns, it has rocketed to the top of the App Store charts and to the first screen on my iPhone.

It is a very powerful communication application: From one place, you can now contact anyone in your phone book or your Facebook Friend List. It's compact and convenient, and you don't have to go through the hassle of granting the app permission to access your Facebook (because, well, the app is Facebook). In my experience, Facebook Messenger loads just as quickly as my text messages do, and the ability to instantly reach all of my contacts on their phones--whether I have their phone number or not--makes Messenger extremely useful.

There are, however, several features that are noticeably (in some cases inconceivably) missing that make Facebook Messenger a bit of a hassle to do certain things. Here are the changes I hope Zuck and the team push through for Facebook Messenger 2.0. Want to know more about how to use the app? Check out our guide to five things you need to know about Facebook Messenger.

New Facebook Messenger Features I Want To See
Phone Calling(01 of07)
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Even though the app is a "Messenger," I would still think that, when somebody sent me a phone number in a message, I'd be able to click on that phone number and be taken to my telephone so that I could make a call. And yet no matter how long I wait, the phone number never becomes underlined to be clickable; and no matter how many times I touch my finger against my screen, Facebook Messenger never gives way to my Telephone. Speaking of not interacting with other apps on my smartphone... (credit:Facebook)
Address-to-Map(02 of07)
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In addition to not being able to tap a phone number to make a call, I also can't tap an address to see it on a map. If Facebook wants me to start using its Messenger instead of my phone's SMS, then they better add the basic functionality I already get when I text. Of course, none of this would really be a huge problem, if only I could... (credit:Facebook)
Copy And Paste(03 of07)
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None of the phone numbers I get sent via Facebook Messenger can be clicked on and sent to my phone; none of the addresses I get sent via Facebook Messenger can be clicked on and sent to my maps; and, to add insult to whatever injury this is causing me, I cannot copy and paste, either.So, to sum up, I can't click on anything, I can't select anything, I can't cut or copy or paste anything. There is no way for me to remove or digitally remember any of the words or numbers or information that are sent to me via Facebook Messenger short of taking a picture of my screen, converting the image to text via a software program, and then entering that information into whatever other app I want to. Forgive me if I am being lazy, but this seems like an unreasonable amount of work to do in order to make a phone call from a number I was sent via Facebook message. (credit:Facebook)
Who's Online?(04 of07)
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Look, I understand that Facebook Messenger is not Facebook chat (pictured above), and that it eliminates the need to know whether or not a friend is online at any given time. I get that. But there are two reasons why Facebook Messenger needs to add an online/offline list, and both of them have to do with something that Facebook is very familiar with: money.First, I have many friends that don't have smartphones or unlimited texting plans. Presumably, these folks aren't getting Facebook messages pushed to their cell phones, as this would prove too costly. Sending them a Facebook message if they are offline, then, would just go to their email inbox, which is useless if they are not at their computer. If I knew they were on Facebook, I could talk with them in real time; if I knew they were not on Facebook, I would call or send a text. Same goes for friends with smartphones without unlimited data. I don't want to be eating up their usage with Facebook Messenger when I could be using a cheaper alternative to contact them.We're in a recession, Facebook. Meet us halfway. (credit:Facebook)
Better "Alerts Off" Options(05 of07)
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Right now, I have three options for silencing my Facebook Messenger:1. Alerts Off for 1 Hour.2. Alerts Off Until 8:00 AM.3. Alerts OffThis is what the options for silencing my Facebook Messenger should look like:1. Alerts Off for [ENTER ANY AMOUNT OF TIME].2. Alerts Off Until [ENTER ANY TIME OF DAY]. (credit:Facebook)
Default "Location Off" Setting(06 of07)
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Currently, the default when sending a message is to share your location, and you can only turn location sharing off with a tiny arrow that is easy to miss in the text input bar, or by turning off location services as a whole in your iPhone settings for the app. Why can't I toggle location services with a nice, big button in the app itself?Above, the teeny tiny icon I'm supposed to remember to click on in order to change whether or not I want to share my location. (credit:Facebook)
Proofreading(07 of07)
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Dear Facebook,You have been valued as high as $100 billion dollars. I believe it would benefit you to spend some of that money on a freelance proofreader. I am happy to offer my services. My rates are $800,000 per hour, plus lunch money.My resume is attached, and I can provide references upon request.Sincerely,Jason Gilbert (credit:Facebook)

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