Jun 03, 2021 12:05:00

Facebook announces new APIs and new features one after another, what are the details of the features that make Instagram and WhatsApp useful?

At Facebook's annual developer conference, F8 , held June 2, 2021 local time, new APIs and new features for the business were announced. By using APIs and new functions for business, companies using Instagram , an image / video sharing SNS owned by Facebook, and WhatsApp and Messenger, which are messaging apps, can improve customer satisfaction through messages. That is.

F8 Refresh: It's All About Developers --About Facebook
https://about.fb.com/news/2021/06/f8-refresh-developer-conference/

Facebook introduces new business API for Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger during F8 Refresh conference ―― 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/02/facebook-introduces-new-business-api-for-instagram-whatsapp-and-messenger-during-f8-refresh-conference/

Held online, the 2021 F8 returned to its origins as a developer conference instead of announcing flashy consumer products, focusing on things like APIs for businesses. Among the new information announced, the following corporate APIs that use the Facebook platform are attracting attention.

◆ Messenger API for Instagram
Instagram is not only a place for ordinary users to share photos and videos, but also a place for various brands to appeal to users. According to Facebook, 90% of Instagram users follow some brand's account and feel connected to the brand through features such as replying to stories, DMs, and mentions. So Facebook has released a new Messenger API for Instagram to all developers, allowing brands to offer messaging capabilities on Instagram.

The Wait Is Over: Messenger API for Instagram Is Now Available to All Developers – Messenger News
https://messengernews.fb.com/2021/06/02/the-wait-is-over-messenger-api-for-instagram-is-now-available-to-all-developers/

Since October 2020, Facebook has conducted beta testing of the Messenger API for Instagram targeting 30 developers and 700 brands, and received various feedback. If your brand uses the Messenger API for Instagram, users can go to your brand's Instagram profile page ...

It is possible to open the Messenger screen directly. Brands can also prepare the template text in advance, so users can send the text with a single tap for general inquiries.

Companies can integrate not only branding but also user communication with Instagram, reducing the time it takes to resolve user inquiries, improving efficiency and improving customer satisfaction.

◆ WhatsApp Business API Updates
According to Facebook, at the time of writing, more than 175 million people per day send messages to WhatsApp corporate accounts to ask questions about the product and receive customer support. Facebook has also announced a new update to its previously available WhatsApp business API.

New Experiences to Make Business Messaging Faster and Easier --WhatsApp Blog

https://blog.whatsapp.com/new-experiences-to-make-business-messaging-faster-and-easier

The improvements announced this time are as follows.

-Reduction of introduction time: In the past, when a new company used WhatsApp's business API, it took several weeks from application to start of use. Facebook says the new update has reduced deployment time to just five minutes.

-Improvement of notification messages from companies: It seems that it was difficult for companies to send timely notifications with conventional business APIs, and it was also difficult to respond to user inquiries within 24 hours. The new update will allow businesses to send more types of messages faster.

· Improved messaging: With this improvement, companies will be able to prepare up to 10 different sentence templates, allowing users to send questions with a single tap. In addition, it is expected that the exchange of messages will be smooth because the reply can also be selected from the template.

◆ Login Connect with Messenger
One of the main products offered by Facebook is 'Facebook Login', which allows you to log in to apps and services using your Facebook account. In F8, 'Login Connect with Messenger' was announced, which allows you to go one step further from Facebook login and open the Messenger screen with the company directly from the Facebook login flow.

Introducing Login Connect with Messenger
https://developers.facebook.com/blog/post/2021/06/02/introducing-login-connect-messenger/

From the page of the company that introduced Login Connect with Messenger, tap 'Continue with Facebook'.

When you log in with your Facebook account ...

You will be asked for permission to connect with your corporate account via Messenger. Tap 'Allow' to allow.

Then, Messenger notification is displayed ...

I received a message from a company in Messenger. With Login Connect with Messenger, you can start exchanging messages with customers as if you were logging in to Facebook.