Despite the fact that smart phones are very personal electronic devices, there are always cases in which, in a timely manner, their owners can lend them to family or friends for any reason, with the possibility that they can access existing private messages.
Thinking about it, from Messenger (of Facebook) they are introducing the new function of Application Lock, a new security option that prevents access, accidental or not, to private messages.
Facebook notes that the new function uses the device’s privacy settings, such as facial or fingerprint unlocking, to unlock Messenger, ensuring that the identification is not sent or stored on the company’s servers. This new function is now a reality for iPhone and iPad devices, and in the coming months it will also reach Android devices.
This new function comes alongside the new privacy settings section, which is also released on the messaging platform, within the Privacy section, from which it will also bring the list of blocked contacts, the audience of the Stories, and the silenced Stories.
In the near future, Messenger will also integrate new controls to define who can get in touch through messages or calls similar to existing controls on Instagram. For now, these controls are under development, and Facebook will announce the moment when the tests will begin.
And finally, Facebook indicates that it will begin to test a function similar to the one existing in WhatsApp and Instagram, for which the images in the message request folder of someone unknown who sends a message are blurred. This will allow the user the option to see the image of that unknown person trying to contact before replying, blocking or reporting the account.
