Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram Apps Are Coming to Windows 10 Today

Microsoft is announcing today that the official Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram apps for Windows 10 will be made available starting today. Facebook and Facebook Messenger are launching on PCs, while Instagram is being made available on Mobile.

“Building on a promise made last fall, the apps bring all of the features you know and love to the platform like an in-app browser, GIFs for group conversations, and direct messaging,” a Microsoft representative told me. “All of this is in addition to the Windows-only experience Live Tiles, which lets you quickly see new posts, messages and photos right from your home screen.”

Note: Not that it matters per se, but I believe Microsoft created the Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps, not Facebook. But the Instagram app for Windows 10 Mobile was made by “the team over at Instagram.” Update: Facebook says it created all of the apps.

I didn’t get early access to the apps, but here’s a quick rundown of what’s new.

Facebook

The new Facebook app for Windows 10 is “the best way to experience Facebook on Windows,” Microsoft says. “With Live Tiles, you can easily find out what your friends and family are up to at a glance. And now, reading and sharing articles from News Feed is quick and easy with an in-app browser. Other features include Reactions, stickers in comments, notifications so that you don’t miss important updates, and a right-hand column that shows birthday, event reminders and trending topics.”

Microsoft noted that the new Facebook app will replace the existing Windows desktop app for Facebook app once it is fully rolled out in the Windows Store in the coming hours.

The new Facebook app for Windows 10 Mobile is “coming soon,” Microsoft says, and you can expect “more great experiences from Facebook” on Windows 10 mobile soon as well.

Facebook Messenger

The new Facebook Messenger app for Windows 10 provides “many of your favorite features” from the service—photo sharing, stickers, group conversations and GIFs, for example—but it’s also been imbued with unique Windows 10 features like support for notifications and Live Tiles.

Instagram

The new Instagram for Windows 10 Mobile app includes a number of features requested by users of the current Beta app, including Direct Messaging, updated Search and Explore, Videos, and Account Switching. The app also supports Live Tiles, so you can get live notifications from Instagram if you pin it on your Start screen.

Microsoft notes that the new Instagram app will replace the current Instagram (Beta) app on Windows 10 Mobile.