Facebook Messenger has set up a mobile payments service that will allow users to transfer money between contacts, according to leaked screenshots.
Stanford student Andrew Aude discovered the new features by hacking the Facebook instant messaging service using iOS app exploration developer tool Cycript.
It’s no surprise that Facebook has chosen to take this route. Not only because mobile payments are on trend right now – Apple debuted the feature on the iPhone 6 and Snapchat is reportedly looking into integrating it too – but also because the instant messaging service currently counts former Paypal president David Marcus as its head.
Andrew Aude told TechCrunch he used Cycript to hack into his jailbroken iPhone. He then turned on the payments feature on Facebook Messenger and took the screenshots.
According to Aude, all it takes to perform a money transfer on Messenger is to hit the payments button, enter the amount you wish to send and then send it. His investigation found that Facebook keeps the transaction private – meaning it doesn’t appear on the News Feed. Aude also adds that the version he used only worked with debit cards and not credit cards or bank accounts. Additionally, the service’s code revealed that group payments will also be rolled out in the future.
Facebook has thus far remained silent on the findings, therefore we don’t know whether it intends to monetise the new feature.
However, Mark Zuckerberg did mention the presence of payments in an earnings call earlier this year, stating: “over time there will be some overlap between [Messenger] and payments¦.The payments piece will be a part of what will help drive the overall success and help people share with each other and interact with businesses.”
Aude claims that the new payments feature will be rolled out on Facebook Messenger in the coming months.
What do you think of the leak? Will you transfer money to friends via Messenger if given the option? Let us know in the comments section below.
