Facebook tests data saving option for Messenger

You may have recently heard that ‘Data is the oxygen of digital life’, something that Facebook is helping us all conserve, as the company tests a data saving feature for the Messenger platform.

After introducing Messenger Lite, the basic version of their triumphant messaging platform, the social media giant is testing a data saving feature that will help conserve cellular data.

Data conservation has received a lot adoption from Facebook, as the company offers a number of features to boost people’s Facebook experience, regardless of what part of the world they are in, or how restricted or patchy is the internet connectivity that they have access to.

With data saving, Facebook is making sure people use Messenger and not worry about spending more data than they already have to.

Just like Messenger Lite, it offers a simple solution, by not automatically downloading any media that you receive, instead, taking the manual route. Although if you’re connected to a WiFi network, Messenger will stay the way it used to be, downloading any media it receives.

Not only that, it also tells you how much data you saved by turning on the data saving option, which is manually turned on, if you wish to save those precious megabytes. The data counter can be reset, to know the exact amount you salvage with the data saver.

With more than a billion users, Messenger is the third most popular app across the world, behind sibling WhatsApp and parent, Facebook itself, which is a testimony to its success. Despite the fact that Facebook coerced (read : forced) users into downloading Messenger at first, it has been doing very well five years on.

The data saving option is currently in the beta phase and is expected to be rolled out soon, but if you wish to sign up for the beta, you can do so by signing up here.