Facebook Messenger has become only the third non-Google app to reach the 5 billion download milestone on the Google Play Store.

Instagram’s direct messages are a useful way to have a quick conversation through the social network, but today they’re getting a major change. Facebook Messenger is taking over Instagram DMs.

GIFs are commonplace in our conversations today, and messaging apps are constantly taking advantage of them and making it easier to insert them into a conversation. Facebook Messenger added native support for GIF search last year, and now it’s adding further support for GIFs on Android by taking advantage of Gboard’s built-in search feature…

Facebook messenger’s newest feature is called Group Video Chat. With it, you can now start a video conference with up to 50 of your closest friends. As fun as it would be to try to communicate with 50 people over video, though, only six of the people in the call will be able to display their video feed…

Following a major update to Android Auto last week, there is now a growing ecosystem for the car dashboard OS. Facebook is the latest partner by adding Auto integration into the Messenger app with drivers being able to easily and safely message while on the road.

Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, but that means it powers more underpowered devices than any other. Especially in the developing world, there are huge numbers of people who prefer — and need — less-capable, lightweight, and not-data-hungry versions of the apps that many of us take for granted.

That’s why Facebook today launched Messenger Lite, a basic version of Facebook Messenger made for those with Android devices more than a few years old (or with less capable specs)…

Introduced in Android N, Direct Reply allows users to respond to messaging apps right from the notification shade without needing to first jump into an app. Following Google Messenger and Hangouts, Facebook is testing the convenient feature in a beta version of Messenger.

Facebook has been busy testing new versions of its Material-inspired Messenger in recent weeks. Three weeks ago, the Material Design refresh started showing up for a handful of users with an account-switching feature and new FAB (floating action button), while others last week reported a fresh new blue lick of paint.

More recently than that, it seems some Messenger users are seeing the inclusion of a new feature. Or rather, the return of an old, discontinued feature.

Facebook loves to A/B test new features and interfaces with a small and random subset of users before a full rollout. A few weeks ago the company began testing a Material Design refresh for Messenger. Some users are now seeing a new variant that sports a blue action and top bar.

Facebook today announced it’s rolling out a new feature for its Messenger chat app that will let users book a car through Uber. The feature, it said, expands on other “integrations” it’s added recently outside of the app’s core chat functionality, like the ability to send money or use the app for customer support.

LinkedIn, the popular social network for connecting business people, has announced that its messaging experience is getting a serious design overhaul from today. Unlike the previous inbox, messages will no longer follow a traditional email format. Instead, it’s turned towards a messaging app design similar to Facebook Messenger.

LinkedIn has built everything from scratch, from the ground up with a cleaner, streamlined look with a brand new chat-style user interface. You can chat with contacts individually or send group messages, and conversations are organized around the people who are important to you. What’s more, you’ll be able to send documents, images, stickers, emojis and GIFs in your messages.

Starting today, we are rolling out a new messaging experience on LinkedIn that offers an easier and more lightweight way to have professional conversations with your connections.  We know many of you have been asking for this ability and we’ve taken a thoughtful approach to reflect the evolving ways professionals are communicating with one another today, as well as, the different ways our members are interacting with each other across our international markets.

From today, the new messaging experience will by rolling out to English-speaking LinkedIn members across the globe on iOS, Android and on the web. If you have LinkedIn installed on your Android smartphone, check the Play Store for updates and you should find one waiting for you over the coming days or weeks.

A couple Facebook announcements today for Android users: Those in the developing world get a new “Lite” version of Facebook that brings a scaled-back but much faster experience when using the app on slower networks.  In addition, all Facebook Messenger users on Android are getting new and improved features for sharing their location.

Facebook notes that the new Lite app is “is less than 1MB so it is fast to install and quick to load. It includes Facebook’s core experiences like News Feed, status updates, photos, notifications and more.”

And here’s the company’s description of the new location sharing features rolling out to Messenger users today:

 Today, we’re excited to start rolling it out in place of our previous location sharing feature. Now you can choose to explicitly send a map of your location or another particular place as a separate message… With this update, you have full control over when and how you share your location information. You only send a location when you tap on the location pin and then choose to send it as a separate message. You can also share a location—like a meeting spot—even if you’re not there.

Here’s a look at the new location sharing features on Android:

The new Facebook Lite app is already available on Google Play for users in Asia while users in parts of Latin America, Africa, and Europe will get access over the coming weeks.

Facebook Messenger for Android has been given an update, bringing the ability to send 15-second video clips through the app, as well as send even bigger thumbs-up graphics for when you just really, really like something that your friend said.

Notably, this update brings the app in line with much of what Snapchat offers. But also, doesn’t this new video feature kind of duplicate the true Snapchat competitor that Facebook is launching soon?

You can grab Facebook Messenger version 6.0 on the Play Store for free.

What’s New

Instant Video Sending: Shoot and play 15-second video messages from the camera right in the app.

Big Likes: Press and hold to send an even bigger thumbs up when you really, really like something.

Back in October, Facebook announced that it would be totally revamping its Messenger app for Android. At the time, the social network made the redesign available to just a few beta testers. Today, however, Messenger for Android has been updated in the Play Store to bring the new, beautified interface to more users.

In addition to the new interface, the app also has a few new features. For one, you can now easily see which friends are available for chatting and which are not. The menu system has also been redone and makes navigation a whole lot easier. Finally, you can also now initiate a chat with anyone via Messenger, even if they are not your Facebook friend. You simply have to have their phone number.

What about the people you text with who aren’t your Facebook friends? Now you just need a contact’s phone number to begin texting others using Messenger. To help people reach you, you’ll be asked to confirm your phone number.

The update is rolling out gradually to select users now, so head to the Play Store and look for yourself.