Out with the old, in with the new! Facebook is finally getting rid of that weird “Other” inbox that no one ever checks. The social-networking service announced this week that the mailbox is being replaced by a new feature called Message Requests.
Previously, if you received a message from someone who wasn’t your friend or a mutual friend, it was filed away in the “Other” inbox, which was only accessible from the Web. Most people didn’t even know the inbox existed — and those who knew were wary about checking it.
Now, if strangers want to contact you, they’ll have to request your permission first.
“We truly want to make Messenger the place where you can find and privately connect with anyone you need to reach, but only be reached by the people you want to communicate with,” David Marcus, the Vice President of Messaging Products at Facebook wrote of the new feature.
Facebook users are now able to accept or ignore message requests “without the requestor knowing you’ve read their message.”
If your Facebook friends or phone contacts reach out to you, their messages will be sent to your inbox as usual. Your creepy neighbor, however, will appear as a message request.
The replacement of the “Other” inbox is just one of the many changes that Facebook is working on. Earlier this week, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg pledged to fix those annoying Candy Crush game invites that we all hate. The social media platform is also testing emoji “reactions,” a play off of the frequently requested dislike button, in Spain and Ireland.
“While this may seem like a small change, it’s actually a foundational development,” Marcus wrote. “Look for more in the months to come as we continue to improve ways to find the people you want to communicate with.”
Goodbye, “Other” inbox. We won’t miss you.
