Facebook, Messenger and Instagram notifications in a single go

Facebook, the proud parent of Instagram and Messenger, wants to bring together its various apps into a more cohesive experience. The social networking site is rolling out a new feature that consolidates Facebook, Messenger and Instagram notifications on the Facebook app.

While this aims to encourage users to stay on Facebook's services longer, it will also make it a tad easier to check your notifications and get rid of those annoying red badges at the same place.

To see if you can receive the new feature, update your Facebook app and then check for a circle icon in the top right corner of your newsfeed. The circle will show if you have any unread notifications. After tapping on it, you'll have the option to switch between Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram.
In a statement to CNET, Facebook said it's "conducting a very small test" to make it easier for people to switch between their Facebook, Messenger and Instagram accounts, so not everyone may be able to access this new notification system.
This is hardly the first time Facebook has integrated its various services. Older versions of the Facebook app had the Messenger icon in that corner, which would then launch the Messenger app. You've also been able to post a photo on Facebook through the Instagram app for quite some time.
However, this new feature puts the option to toggle between all three apps in one place. By doing so, you can get your social media fix without jumping from one app to the next and leaving Facebook -- just how the company intended it.

Facebook Messenger Home Screen Gets a Makeover

Messenger Day posts are now located below three new tabs at the top of the home screen: Messages, Active, and Groups. The bottom bar is also getting a refresh. It now has tabs for Home, Calls, the in-app Camera, and People and Games.

Once Facebook rolled out its Snapchat Stories clone inside Messenger, the app started to feel a little busy and disorganized. So, Facebook is giving Messenger a revamp.
 
The social network is reorganizing the Messenger home screen in an effort to make it "your central hub for connecting with the people and businesses you want to in whatever way you prefer." Messenger Day posts still feature prominently, but are now located below three new tabs at the top of the home screen: Messages, Active, and Groups.
"By tapping or swiping to these tabs, you can quickly navigate to where you need to go and get messaging faster," Facebook wrote in a post on the Messenger page.
The bottom bar is also getting a refresh. It now has tabs for Home, Calls, the in-app Camera, and People and Games. When there's something new to check out in one of these tabs, Facebook will put a red dot there to let you know. When you receive a new message, for instance, you'll see a red dot next to the Home button. If you missed a call, you'll see a red dot next to Calls.
"These small changes are designed to make Messenger simpler for you – to help you get to your contacts quickly, jump into your conversations where you left off, start new chats, and stay up to date," Facebook wrote.
Facebook said it plans to roll out these changes worldwide on iOS and Android this week.