13 Things You Didn't Know Facebook Messenger Could Do

If you're traveling abroad and don't want to rack up your roaming fees, you can use Messenger to place calls or video chat over WiFi (you can also do it over data, but that costs standard rates). Or if you're a homebody, use it whenever you don't have someone's phone number, but need to give them a call. Bonus fun fact: You can place a group call or video chat with up to 50 people. 

Yes, this seems like "why bother?", but think about it: If you color-code your conversations, you can more easily keep multiple chats straight. Select your friend's name at the top of the chat. Then the "Contact" window appears. Here, you can change the color of the conversation (for you and your friends) to one of 15 colors. 

If your group chat is blowing up and you just need a break, hush them temporarily. Tap the group's name at the top of the screen, then select "Notifications" to silence them for 15 minutes up to a full day. Don't worry, nobody in the chat will know you've turned them off. Ahhhh ... silence.

Make groups on Messenger by selecting the names at the top of the chat screen, then clicking "Add People." You can do this at any point in the chat process, but beware: They'll get access to the chat's history in order to catch up (so watch what you say!).

Spare yourself that annoying "Where are you?" back-and-forth and just send a pin with your location. Under where you would "Type a message..." there's a button that looks like three dots in a rectangle. Click that, and then select "Location." It'll find you on a map and send it to your friend (just make sure you've enabled location services in settings on your phone first). From that same drop-down menu, you can also "Request a Ride." You'll get an ETA for an Uber and a Lyft to compare the times. Selecting one launches a new conversation with the Uber or Lyft Bot. (More on Bots next!)

Not everyone uses Venmo or PayPal, but practically everyone uses Facebook. Easily pay people using Messenger by pressing the $ button at the bottom of the text entry box. It's encrypted and private, so your money is safe, and syncs up to your debit card.

The White House also has its own Bot, so if you'd like to send President Obama a message, have at it. Follow the same steps as above, but instead, address it to @WhiteHouse. They won't send you pizza (that we know of), but you can craft a custom message to the Commander-in-Chief. Fun fact: The President reads 10 messages each night — it could be yours!

Start a conversation with @AmericanExpressUS, and they'll prompt you to link your Amex account with Facebook. From there, you'll get a message whenever there's a transaction. This is a good idea if your family has access to your AmEx and you want to keep track of their spending.