Facebook has announced a new bill-splitting feature designed to make ‘going Dutch’ a little easier and a little less awkward.
The new tool is rolling out to Messenger (initially in the United States) that’ll hopefully make it straightforward to avoid being lumbered with the bill when you’re catching up with friends and family over the Christmas period.
Facebook announced the Facebook Pay-based feature in a blog post on Friday reviewing the new features that have landed this year, while offering a sneak peak at the Split Payments tool. It’ll enable you to be reimbursed for that dinner date when a cousin you only communicated via Messenger ‘accidentally’ left their wallet at home or went to the toilet when the bill arrived.
“If you’ve struggled with dividing up (and getting paid back for) group dinners, shared household expenses or even the monthly rent, it’s about to get easier,” the company says in a blog post.
“Next week for Messenger fans in the US, we’re starting to test Split Payments, a free and fast way to share the cost of bills and expenses. To use Split Payments, click the “Get Started” button in a group chat or the Payments Hub in Messenger. From there, you can split a bill evenly or modify the contribution amount for each individual — with or without yourself included. After entering a personalised message and confirming your Facebook Pay details, your request will be sent and viewable in your group chat thread.”
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The feature is an alternative to payment services like Venmo in the United States and is a nice addition to Facebook Pay, which launched a couple of years back to enable person-to-person payments and donations.
Elsewhere, Facebook is adding AR effects to Messenger, joining the recent Soundmojis that will play sounds when you post them.
“For all the singers, heartthrobs and Swifties, make sure you try out the new Taylor Swift soundmoji released in honour of her new album, “Red.” Just tap on the loudspeaker icon and select *heart emoji* to be “burning red”!” Facebook adds.
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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.
