Secret Facebook Messenger feature unlocks HIDDEN tricks – here’s how

A TIKTOK tech expert has shared a neat effect that you can send to your mates on Facebook Messenger.

The fun feature adds a little cheer to your conversations by virtually gift wrapping your message in pink wrapping paper.

TikTokYou can virtually gift wrap text sent over Facebook Messenger[/caption]

The recipient must then “unwrap” the gift by tapping it before reading the text inside, TiKToker @textinglumberjack showed their followers in an upload last year.

It’s a fun way to wrap up a congratulatory text sent to a Facebook friend on their birthday, anniversary or another significant milestone.

To activate the feature, open the Facebook Messenger app on your iPhone or Android device.

Tap your chosen recipient and then type on the text box at the bottom of your screen to begin typing your message.

Make sure you type out your message first, or else the option to transform it into a present will not appear on the app.

Once your text is ready, tap on the stickers icon next to the send button.

Tap on the Effects section and select the pink present option on your screen. As soon as you tap it, your message will automatically send.

When the recipient taps on the present, the lid will come off and they can view your message.

Elsewhere in the Effects tab, you can add fire, love hearts and other visual embellishments to your messages to make them a bit more visually interesting.

The feature launched in the United States last year and isn’t yet available in every region.

If you don’t have access to them, don’t fear – there are other text effects available to you…

If you use an iPhone, you can add a number of fun visual effects to texts sent over iMessage using a series of hidden codewords – including a laser light show.

The feature has been available on iPhone for some time but frequently goes viral whenever fans highlight the trick on platforms such as TikTok.

Alongside the laser effect, you can also make balloons float up from the bottom of your mate’s screen on their birthday.

When January rolls around, fireworks will burst across the message if you wish someone “happy new year”.

To send a fun animation to someone, simply type one of the codewords below into iMessage.

The recipient must have an iPhone for the effect to show.

If you’d rather not use a codeword, you can always hold down on the blue send button after typing out your message.

This will present you with a list of effects you can add to any message of your choosing. We’ve put together a list of the codewords and their effects below.

‘Pew pew’ – laser light show‘Happy birthday’ – balloons‘Congratulations’ – confetti‘Happy New Year’ – fireworks‘Happy Chinese New Year’ – red explosion‘Selamat’ – confettiEco – Fills the screen with message bubblesSpotlight – Puts a spotlight on your messageBalloons – Balloons rise up from the bottom of your screenConfetti – Confetti rains downLove – Large heart bulges from your messageLasers – Laser light showFireworks – Fireworks explode on your screenShooting star –  A shooting star fires across the screenCelebration – A red firework show appears

In other news, scientists are embarking on a mission to unravel the mystery behind dozens of grisly child mummies buried in an underground tomb in Sicily.

Police have caught an Italian mafia henchman who’d be on the run for 20 years after spotting the fugitive on Google Maps.

One of the best-preserved fossils ever found has confirmed that young dinosaurs burst from their shells just like baby birds.

And, an eagle-eyed Reddit user has spotted a $2billion flying stealth bomber on Google Maps.

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