Microsoft flipped a switch over the weekend, enabling support for offline Facebook messages in Windows Phone’s Messaging hub. Messaging has supported instant messaging via Windows Live Messenger and Facebook Chat since last fall’s Mango update (OS v7.5), but traditional Facebook messages still required the use of the official Facebook app. The social networking giant has slowly blurred the line between traditional messages and chat, so supporting this feature in the Messaging hub is both logical and crucial.
The above video shows how it works for those who are curious, and we were very pleased with the results in our own tests. Offline contacts will now receive any messages you send them over Facebook, even if you switch your presence to offline as well. This is exactly how it should work. And, as you might expect, the reverse is also true. Simply switch your presence to online, busy, away, or appear offline to receive any messages sent to you over Facebook since the last time you logged on.
Enabling offline Facebook messages is a small change, to be sure, but it’s one we’re very thankful for.
[LiveSide via Mi Movil Windows]
