Facebook Messenger 5.0 for iOS adds video sharing, improved search and more

The official changelog notes that the Facebook Messenger app (version 5.0) for iOS adds video sharing, which now allows users to play the shared videos in the app itself; instant photo sharing, which offers the option to send a clicked image with just one tap in the app; improved search, which will add quick search of people and groups, as well as other fixes including stickers and groups.

The Facebook Messenger app (version 5.0) for iOS now shows a single row of icons for clicking images, selecting an image or video from Camera Roll; choosing a sticker and voice messages below text entry field to include in user's conversation. Further, the new version adds ability to download, by pressing and holding, a sticker pack received from someone. The new update for was released on Monday and is now available on the App Store (36.8MB in size).

Currently, the Facebook Messenger app (version 5.0) with new updates is only available to iOS users; though we expect the social giant to roll out the update to Android in the coming weeks.

Earlier, Facebook announced it would be removing the chat/ instant messaging functionality from its standalone Facebook app, forcing users to utilise the Messenger app if they wanted to chat with Facebook contacts on their mobiles.

Recently, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg shared the news that the instant messaging app, Messenger, is being used by more than 200 million active users every month. Zuckerberg made the announcement during the company's first-quarter earnings call.

According to Facebook, the monthly audience of Messenger has been on par with Instagram's recently announced 200 million active users.