Developers will now be able to introduce a “persistent menu” to their bot’s functionality, enabling users to see the bot’s functions more clearly than with previous versions.
Before, bots’ abilities were primarily unlocked via messages, but now developers will be able to choose three top-level functions and three sub functions for consumers to search through.
This update is designed to give bots more of a website feel.
Facebook explains: “The persistent menu now allows for multiple, nested items to be built in, giving people a way to find and select from all the features that a bot offers.
“Developers also have the option to hide the composer and create a simple Messenger experience without conversational capabilities.
“Users can use these nested items within the persistent menu to drive bot interactions.
“Combined with webviews, this updated feature allows developers to launch rich workflows and experiences directly from the menu.”
With the update, Facebook has also introduced new ways for businesses to grow their audience using bots.
Developers can now choose the type of content that appears when someone shares their bot’s messages with friends and family.
Bot developers can also link this content (e.g. message, image, button etc) to the company’s website, to give a bit more insight into what the business does.
Webviews in Messenger has also been updated and will now come with sharing options, allowing people to send on webview content that includes a link back to the bot, to help start new conversations.
Businesses can also add a deep link to customised shared messages via their bot’s m.me URL, along with many other more minor updates to the Messenger platform.
To find out more please click here.