Facebook begins merging Instagram, Messenger chats, says report

Facebook has reportedly started merging Instagram and Messenger chats -- in a bid to allow cross-messaging among its family of apps.

The update comes with the message: "There's a New Way to Message on Instagram". It's available for both iOS and Android devices.

Once you hit the update, the regular DM icon in the top right of Instagram is replaced by the Facebook Messenger logo. Currently, the functionality to message Facebook users from Instagram is not possible.

Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion.

Facebook has also integrated Messenger rooms with WhatsApp on the Web. People can now access Messenger Rooms which allow group video calls of up to 50 people with no time limit via WhatsApp on the desktop.

The Messenger Rooms integration is yet to arrive on WhatsApp on mobile.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had earlier revealed his plans to integrate its chat services to let billions of users message one another across platforms. More than the commercial benefits of the chat integration between the apps, he said he was concerned about data encryption.