No matter how nice the evening, there’s always that awkward moment at the end of the night when you and five mates try to split the bill.
Some want to go for a straight split while others want to pay only for what they ate, it’s a socially awkward faff, but one that’s about to be made easier thanks to Facebook of all people.
The social giant has updated its hugely popular Messenger app with the ability to send and receive money to groups directly within the application.
Although Facebook has allowed users to send and receive money within the Messenger app since 2015, until now this has been restricted to individual person-to-person payments.
The new group payment feature has already started to roll out, although you’ll need to be a US-based user in order to make use of the new tool at first.
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There’s another catch too. Leaving iOS device owners out in the cold, Facebook has confirmed that the feature is currently only available to Android and desktop-based users.
“Starting today for Android and desktop, you can send or receive money between groups of people on Messenger,” Facebook’s Product Manager for Consumer Payments, Partha Sundaram said making the announcement.
“It’s free, simple, fast and secure. Whether you’re splitting a restaurant bill or chipping in for a group gift, all you need to do is go to a new or existing Messenger group conversation to get started.”
Explaining how the process works, they added: “Simply tap on the plus sign in the bottom left hand corner of a group conversation to find more features, and tap the payments icon ($). Then, choose who to send or request money from. You can choose everyone in the group or only a few members.”
Letting you select the amount to want to pay or receive, once money has been transferred, a message will be displayed in the group chat window, making it easier to see who still needs to pay up.
It’s currently unclear when Facebook will bring the new group payment feature to British shores.
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Are you comfortable sending money through Facebook? Let us know in the comments section.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
