Facebook Messenger may authorise digital payments and facilitate secret messaging

Social media giant Facebook may soon join the likes of Samsung, Android and Apple in the domain of digital payments as a recent report reveals the company is working on a new mobile payment feature for its Messenger that can authorise credit card transactions in retail stores. Along with this, the company is also researching on a secret messaging feature within the Messenger.

The Information, which dug up a source code for Facebook Messenger, says the code references the ability to "pay directly in Messenger when you pick up the item" and "pay in person" using the app. Prior to this, Facebook introduced a money-sending feature that allowed users to send each other money directly within the app.

Now this feature will be expanded to facilitate the use credit and debit cards competing with the likes of Android Pay. It could also end up partnering with any of the existing mobile payment platforms like Apple Pay and Samsung Pay or set up its own system altogether.

As for the secret messaging feature, an iOS source code reveals that Facebook Messenger may soon have a "secret conversations" tool. It is not known what this exactly means but could be something similar to Telegram in the form of encrypted chats or even threads that don't save in your history.

These codes are just in the testing phase so it is possible that they will take time for a full roll-out. In case the social media company doesn't find it worthwhile, they may even scrap the idea. One thing is for sure though, Facebook is doing all it can to retain people on the Messenger.