Tag: messaging
Posted inNews

Spotify is removing its inbox and messaging feature

Avatar photo by Stuart Dredge

We’ve always wished that Spotify’s inbox and messaging system were used by more people, and also that the streaming service would do more with the feature to encourage that. Sadly, the company is going the other way.

“We are currently in the process of deprecating the Inbox/Messages feature within the Spotify app,” wrote one of Spotify’s community managers on its forum this month.

“Extensive data analysis has shown that this feature has very low engagement. The huge disparity between the use of the feature and the manpower required to maintain it doesn’t merit keeping it running, so we’ve taken the difficult decision to remove it.”

Posted inNews

Facebook tests Instagram-style stories and Messenger ads

Avatar photo by Stuart Dredge

Facebook has started testing a couple of interesting new features in its flagship mobile apps.

First, some Irish users of its main app are getting a feature called ‘Facebook Stories’ – essentially the Stories feature from Instagram for sharing photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours (which itself was cribbed from Snapchat).

As on Instagram, friends’ stories are shown at the top of the app’s main screen. The idea is to encourage more spur-of-the-moment sharing from Facebook users.

Posted inNews, Startups

The Bot Platform opens up Facebook Messenger bots to more artists

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After creating Facebook Messenger bots for musicians including Hardwell, Olly Murs and Zara Larsson, agency We Make Awesome Sh is spinning the technology off as a standalone startup called The Bot Platform.

The system has already processed more than 10m conversations for clients, who also include Axwell /\ Ingrosso and Bastille. The Bot Platform is keen to sign up other artists as clients, as well as brands, sports teams and other companies outside the music industry.

Its system provides templates to help create Messenger bots, which can then sign up fans; send and respond to messages; and sell merchandise, tickets and music.

Posted inNews

WeChat gets ‘Mini Programs’ to challenge apps

Avatar photo by Stuart Dredge

Chinese messaging app WeChat has 768 million active users according to its most recent public figure. Now it’s launching a challenge (of sorts) to Apple and Google’s app stores with a new feature called ‘Mini Program’.

The Wall Street Journal described it as “a suite of web apps” designed to run within WeChat, although the company has carefully ensured there is no central ‘app store’ for the programs so as not to incur the competitive wrath of Apple or Google.

Posted inMarketing, News

Chatbots, emojis and Spotify: together at last!

Avatar photo by Stuart Dredge

2016 in a nutshell? Try Martini’s latest digital marketing campaign, which involves a Facebook Messenger DJ chatbot.

“A DJ chatbot asks social media users on Facebook to sum up their summer using emojis… to create a Spotify playlist of summer anthems,” is how Martini described it in a press release.

Expect Calvin Harris and Drake’s big 2016 hits to feature prominently. The chatbot launches this Saturday (29 October) on Martini’s Facebook page.

Posted inNews, Startups

Mixmsg is a Spotify-powered mixtape creator for Apple iMessage

Avatar photo by Stuart Dredge

One of the features in Apple’s latest iOS 10 software is the ability to make apps (and animated stickers) for its iMessage messaging service. Now someone’s made an iMessage app for friends to create collaborative ‘mixtapes’.

The app is called Mixmsg – Make Mixtapes with Friends, and it was released as a free iOS download this week. “Mixmsg helps you create and share two-sided mixtapes as easily as texting,” explains its App Store blurb.

“Easily share life news, all the feels or favourite tunes & bands with a custom mixmsg tape or mixmsg Flyer. Rewind to a time when music said it all.”