Facebook is set to merge messaging services across Instagram, Whatsapp and Messenger
Facebook is planning to streamline its messaging services by integrating Whatsapp, Instagram and Facebook messenger.
All three will remain separate apps, but underneath the surface they will all be inter-linked, allowing messages to travel between services, according to a report in the New York Times.
The paper claims it is the personal project of the Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, but the company are still at the start of a long process.
It would allow people who use different apps to communicate across platforms without necessarily using the same app as the person they are messaging.
"We want to build the best messaging experiences we can; and people want messaging to be fast, simple, reliable and private," said Facebook in a statement.
"We're working on making more of our messaging products end-to-end encrypted and considering ways to make it easier to reach friends and family across networks," it added.
The work to merge the three services has already begun and is due to be completed by the end of the year, or start of next year, according to the NYT.
It marks a significant change in the company's approach as they previously allowed Instagram and Whatsapp to operate independently.