Facebook rolls out Messenger payments in NYC, adds new features

Facebook’s payments rollout continues.

Today the social networking company announced in an email that its payments feature, baked into the standalone Messenger app, will soon be available in “New York City and the surrounding metro areas.” This rollout follows the feature’s official reveal in March (and a year or so of speculation).

Alongside the rollout, Facebook tells us it’s “adding functionality to make it even more simple to send and receive money between friends in Messenger conversations.” OK.

Here’s what’s new:

• Now in your Messenger conversations, dollar amounts are automatically hyperlinked and when tapped, will start a payment for that amount to the person you’re messaging. The sender can then confirm the payment before sending. This is similar to how addresses, phone numbers, or website URLs are automatically hyperlinked in Messenger.
• If people are engaged in a group conversation, they can now pay friends individually within the group on desktop without having to leave the group conversation. People in the group conversation will be able to see who paid whom and for how much.