Facebook introduced chat heads in Messenger a long time back and it remains one of our favorite features of the messaging app to date. The instant prompt on the screen for new conversations, the option to read and reply to them, even when you’re using another app offers you a handy user experience. If you love Facebook chat heads and the convenience it brings, you must have thought of enabling it for rest of the communication apps like WhatsApp, Discord, Skype or Gmail among others as well.
- First, head to the Play Store and install the DirectChat app (Free) on your Android smartphone.
Features Offered By DirectChat
- Appearance
Messenger-like UI: One of the main reasons you’ll prefer DirectChat over other similar alternatives on the Play Store is how well the developer has replicated the core interface, as well as the functionality of Messenger. Chat bubble, pop-up messages, unread badges, and the whole messaging UI right off the bat caught my eye here. I have been using this app on the regular recently and it’s truly been a great experience.
Appearance
- Themes
DirectChat offers you the option to customize the look and feel of your chat heads and conversation view, however, that comes at a cost. You will need to get the $1.98 Pro version of the app before you can proceed with tweaking the theme. You can head to ‘Apps’ section in DirectChat and tap on the app’s name to access its settings. Here you could change the following things:
Themes
Mark as Read: When messages are read via the chat head made accessible using this app, then they are not marked as ‘seen’ within the app. So, you could use it to remain silent and not let others know that you’ve read their messages or choose to toggle the ‘Mark as Read‘ Pro feature that automatically does the job for you. Transparency, you know?
Preferences
Notification: DirectChat lets you set a number of notification preferences too. You can choose for the notifications in the status bar to disappear if the chat head appears or is removed. The app can also reset the unread counter too.
Lock Screen: The app makes it possible for you to continue conversations directly from the lock screen via chat heads, which can be really handy but does come with its privacy concerns. I won’t suggest you have chat heads enabled on the lock screen.
SEE ALSO: 12 Facebook Messenger Bots That You Should Subscribe To
Facebook’s devised the most intuitive and nifty to catch up and stay informed of all your messages with chat heads. Well, I can’t deny that chat heads are super handy and with DirectChat making the same available for all of my social media apps and email apps, it does make communication a lot simpler. It even makes catching up with notifications an effortless affair. So, go ahead, try out DirectChat and let us know if you too enjoy using chat heads or not.
