VK Messenger

Main article: Instant Messenger (IM)

VK Messenger is the official VKontakte messenger for Windows, macOS and Linux. As in regular VKontakte dialogs, users can create chats, exchange any attachments, send animated stickers and audio messages. In addition, the leaders of the VKontakte communities can connect messages for groups and public pages and flexibly configure notifications - communication with friends and subscribers takes place in one application.

2024

Chat folders available

The updated interface VK Messenger in the web version has become available to users. social networks It includes updated design, functionality and infrastructure. The interface simplifies navigation and provides chat folders. You can switch to it in the messenger menu. The speed of interaction with the service for the user increased by 30% due to the transition to a new code base. VK announced this on September 19, 2024.

Happy about the changes: folders with chats, decryption of video messages, right-click actions menu, reaction animation. It became possible to send quiet messages that come silently, as well as disappearing messages with an automatic deletion timer. Users can customize the compact view of the section: the list of chats can be minimized, leaving more space for correspondence.

For chats, you can set thematic and color design - from gaming and romantic to disco and retrovave. Navigation inside the chat helps users to quickly access the interaction history: by clicking on the photo or the name of the interlocutor, a card opens with the materials of the conversation and basic information.

The download speed of the interface is on average 30% higher, and the transition to VK Messenger from other sections of the social network is instant. This was made possible by a large-scale update of the code base. The VK Messenger developers wrote program code from scratch, which became a single base for all web versions of the service: the VKontakte website, fast chats, a desktop application and a web version web.vk.me. The updated technology platform allows you to implement optimizations and new features for users twice as quickly.

Opportunity to receive awards for success

On January 10, 2024, VK announced that the Awards section appeared in the Shefum training profile in VK Messenger, thanks to which teachers will be able to motivate and encourage schoolchildren for achievements in their studies, sports and extracurricular activities. Read more here.

2023

The ability to write by phone number

You can write to your interlocutor in VK Messenger by phone number. To do this, it is not necessary to add a person to friends on VKontakte or to contacts of the phone book. The developers have improved anti-spam algorithms and implemented a number of functions in chats. Updates are available in VKontakte and VK Messenger applications. VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) announced this on October 30, 2023.

Users can contact new acquaintances by phone number - neighbors, classmates, colleagues. VKontakte's own neural network allows using machine learning algorithms to identify suspicious accounts and limit the use of a new function for them, protecting users from spam.

VK Messenger has options for customization: dynamic chat backgrounds that adapt to the topic of the application - dark or light. The feature works in Android apps and will soon appear on iOS. Unique stencils for video messages have become available: sun, flower, cookie, hexahedron.

The interlocutors got quick access to view each other's published stories: they are displayed in the list of chats by clicking on the profile photo. You can control the function in the settings.

The number of users of the educational profile "Spherum" in "VK Messenger" - 15 million

The number of users of the educational profile Spherum VK Messenger in reached 15 million teachers, students and parents. The service showed quadruple user growth year-on-year, representatives of the press service of the Spherum project said on October 23, 2023. More. here

Availability of Video Text Decryption

VKontakte July 14, 2023 presented video transcript, animated reactions and other functions in VK Messenger. The decryption technology is fully automated and works on the basis of machine learning methods developed by the VKontakte team. For high accuracy, video recordings are processed by three neural networks: they recognize sounds, separating them from the video sequence, form words from sounds and determine the boundaries of sentences.

The development of VKontakte, created on the basis of ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) technology, is responsible for word recognition. Three neural networks are involved in the process: acoustic recognizes sounds, linguistic forms words from sounds, and punctuation determines the boundaries of sentences and places punctuation marks. The technology is trained on subtitles of films and is able to understand illegible speech and informal vocabulary, remove pauses from the record, divide text into sentences and semantic blocks. Speech recognition is fully automated and occurs without human input.

You can decrypt both received and sent video messages. It is enough to click on the "Aa" icon, after which the artificial intelligence recognizes speech interlocutor converts it into text. The tool will be useful when it is inconvenient to listen to or watch a video message. In addition, it will allow you to return to what you need information in the correspondence: decrypted video messages can be found using text search. The function is already available in the web version of the web.vk.me and some users of VKontakte and VK applications Messenger on, Android including in the training profile. Spherum Soon she will appear on. iOS

In the updated version, the developers also expanded the possibilities for those who want to tell more: the maximum duration of video messages was increased to three minutes. Viewing such video messages will make the playback acceleration function more convenient by one and a half to two times. The tool is available on iOS and will later appear on Android. In addition, it became possible to use exclusive forms of video messages - stars and kittens.

Animated reactions in chats will allow you to make the exchange of emotions brighter. They can be used on all platforms: like, hearts, lights and other reactions. Each of them is reproduced with colorful animation.

Transfer contacts from WhatsApp chats on Android devices for the "Spherum" profile

Users of the school profile Spherum in VK Messenger have access to additional functions that allow them to improve the process of communication on school issues. The service develops taking into account the wishes and needs of users: functionality updates are based, including on the reviews of teachers who took part in focus groups. This was announced on May 26, 2023 by VK (formerly Mail.ru Group). Read more here.

Presentation of adapted chatbots

Vkontakte On April 13, 2023, the company presented tools adapted to the needs of different areas of business. With help chat boats VK Messenger from, customers can seamlessly use native access to the services of companies - for example, in areas,, and insurance retail tourism others. Web services of organizations instantly open inside a chatbot: to design a service, the user does not need to leave the usual messenger environment, go to other applications or copy a link for viewing on an external resource. Such a scenario simplifies the user path, increases the speed of interaction with the client and provides more trusted contact.

Companies can conduct customer authorization, send transaction notifications, and provide personal support in a chatbot. The set of scenarios can change and adapt to the needs of the company. To use some chatbots, users need to enable two-factor authentication: this will provide additional protection. In addition, the social network provides businesses with the ability to flexibly manage additional user protection mechanisms, allowing them to integrate their own algorithms and steps for verifying authorization data when using a chatbot.

VKontakte also improved the API for chatbots. Thanks to the update, companies have the opportunity to integrate notifications with action buttons into their chatbots. The user, opening a notification from the bot, can issue an application in one click, request the order status or perform any proposed action without wasting time finding the desired command. The updated chatbot platform is available to users both in the mobile applications VKontakte and VK Messenger, and in the web version of the social network. The official chatbots of the companies will be marked with a special interface banner.

{{quote 'author = noted Marina Krasnova, CEO of VKontakte. | VKontakte presents hundreds of thousands of chat bots, which have become the most important channels for promoting business. They help companies take orders in online stores, recommend suitable events or nearby restaurants, demonstrate and sell products. We are increasing our functionality to the needs of a larger pool of industries: retail, insurance, e-commerce, marketplaces and others. Fast access to a large range of services on the VK Messenger chatbot platform allows companies to reach a new level by offering customers a personalized service in a convenient and understandable format for them,}}

{{quote 'author = noted Farit Khusnoyarov, vice president of VK, head of VK Messenger. | We are improving the capabilities of VK Messenger as a universal tool for a variety of tasks: work or study, communicate with friends or receive services. Manufacturability is one of our key priorities, so we pay special attention to improving the speed of access within the service and seamless user experience. Updating the chatbot platform will allow the business to become significantly closer to customers and more efficiently solve their requests by integrating the capabilities of the VK Messenger and partner resources,}}

Implementation of QUIC protocol

VK Messenger has implemented a transmission technology data based on Internet the QUIC protocol and accelerated message delivery in the regions Russia to make communication more convenient and accessible. Users of the service can correspond and share photos with a weak Internet connection and in unstable mobile networks. The company Vkontakte announced this on March 28, 2023.

Thanks to the introduction of Server-Sent Events technology and traffic compression algorithms, VK Messenger has accelerated message delivery by 20% in all regions of Russia. The technology allows you to increase bandwidth and optimally utilize the network channel of the device, as well as reduce the amount of data that is transmitted when sending and receiving messages.

The transition to the QUIC (HTTP/3) network protocol allowed VK Messenger to work more efficiently in unstable connection conditions and laid the foundation for further optimizations. This protocol already works for users on iOS and Android.

Previously, QUIC was introduced in the web version and VKontakte application; this halved the delivery time of content in all regions of Russia and around the world. QUIC differs significantly from the TCP protocol, which is still used by many IT companies. QUIC is initially optimized for mobile use cases, it has much less overhead for establishing connections with the server, reduced delays in transmitting and receiving data, and it also protects information from interception more reliably.

{{quote 'author = said Alexander Tobol, STO VKontakte, Vice President for Technology and Development of VK. | Quick user access to communication is our key goal, so we are committed to constantly improving our products. VKontakte introduced the QUIC protocol, which significantly accelerated the delivery of content. Now this technology works in VK Messenger. It makes messaging faster and allows you to stay in touch even with an unstable Internet: on the subway, outside the city or while traveling. We still have many updates in our work to help speed up communication, for example, updated download and caching logic. We will continue to implement the latest technologies in all our services for the convenience of users,}}

Desktop application for Windows and macOS

February 21, 2023 social network Vkontakte presented an updated version of VK Messenger. The beta version of the VK Messenger app computers includes personalized notifications, support for a personal and educational profile, accelerated video download and other changes. It will soon have a view of communities in the format, chats a wide range of free features for VK Calls without videoconferences restrictions on the time and number of participants, as well as support - OS Linux in addition to and. VK Windows macOS has Messenger received wide cross-platform functionality and is available: on,, smartphones tablets computers, and other laptops desktop devices, as well as inside VKontakte - in the application, mobile, web version and on. smartwatch Apple Watch

As reported, thanks to the optimization of loading content into, chats messages in the VK Messenger desktop application are sent quickly. Stability is ensured by optimizing the code base and integrating the native capabilities of operating systems for better interaction.

In the application, you can quickly switch between personal and educational profiles, immediately learn about messages from loved ones and colleagues thanks to personal notifications, exchange voice and disappearing messages, and also divide personal, educational and work correspondence into folders. In addition, you can communicate with friends from VKontakte and contacts from a phone book synchronized through a mobile application. Also in the desktop messenger there are optimized video downloads and file sharing with an increased limit of up to 4 GB.

The interface design of the updated application is adapted to the peculiarities of use on the computer and the conditions of multitasking - you can correspond in chats without breaking away from other things. In the application, you can turn on a dark theme to communicate with eye comfort. Thanks to the auto-update function, the application will always remain in the current version, receiving updated features.

VK services extend and complement each other, covering different scenarios: for example, when the user is on the road, at a business meeting or training. You can switch between different devices - smartphone, laptop, watch - and, depending on the situation, use a convenient application for yourself. told Marina Krasnova, CEO of VKontakte

VK Messenger for computers is already available in beta, we will continue to develop the product and functionality based on feedback. In addition, we will soon launch a separate web version of the VK Messenger so that chats are available from any device that has a browser. told Farit Khusnoyarov, vice president of VK, head of VK Messenger

Availability of traffic police notifications and fines

On January 18, 2023 Ministry of Digital Development , it announced that it is now pensions penalties TRAFFIC POLICE possible to receive reports of assigned payments and, the progress of enforcement proceedings or appointed ones through social network Vkontakte VK. Messenger Alerts will come from. Public services Read more. here

2022

Appearance of video messages with a variety of forms and settings for choosing the shooting mode

VK Messenger Video messages appeared in: they are available chats Vkontakte in and in a separate VK application Messenger. Video messages will help diversify communication and instantly express your emotions - thanks to the ability to choose forms. This was announced by VK on December 20, 2022. A whole collection of stencils is available to users: for example, a circle, a heart New Year tree, a snowflake and another secret version.   

Video message settings allow you to select a convenient mode before shooting - turn on the front or main, camera smartphone flash, choose the desired shape. In order not to hold your finger to record a long video message, you can activate the "Shooting without hands" mode and leave the camera on. In time recording, you can switch from the front camera to the main camera and vice versa - for example, to show what is happening around and your reaction.    Thanks to the acceleration and optimization of video loading in chats, video messages are sent almost instantly. The ability to record and send video messages of various forms is available in mobile applications VKontakte and VK Messenger, you can watch messages in the desktop version of the social network.   

Video messages will complement the wide possibilities of VKontakte for communication and expression, helping to diversify communication in personal correspondence and group chats, share live emotions with friends and fans in real time, and save bright moments in the history of correspondence. Thanks to special stencils, users can choose various forms for video messages, emphasizing their mood and adding a festive atmosphere, romance or humor, noted Marina Krasnova, CEO of VKontakte.

 

Users left a lot of wishes for video messages to appear in the chats. And the company wanted to realize this opportunity and make it exciting, functional and interesting. Preparatory work was carried out so that video messages were sent quickly, and the interlocutors always had a choice of what form the messages would take, said Farit Khusnoyarov, vice president of VK, head of VK Messenger.

 

Ability to follow the public in chat format

VKontakte December 14, 2022 presented the beta version of communities in the VK Messenger application: users can follow interesting and favorite publics in the chat format. This function will help you quickly receive information from authors, bloggers and media, as well as not miss the latest publications of VKontakte communities. The beta version of the communities appeared in the VK Messenger mobile application on iOS and Android.

During chat, community subscribers will be able to instantly see fresh publications of their favorite bloggers, authors, musicians, thematic groups and media - in the usual messenger format. You can choose communities and read published posts without leaving the application: subscriptions are available on the VK Messenger main screen. If necessary, individual communities can be hidden - they will go to the archive and will not be shown on the main screen.

In the current version of the VK Messenger application, support for multiplexes has appeared: if the user has several accounts connected, for example, a training and personal profile, you can receive notifications from everyone.

{{quote 'author = said Marina Krasnova, CEO of VKontakte. | In 2022, the number of active author's publics exceeded 1.9 million. Introduction of communities in VK Messenger will strengthen the connection of content creators with the audience: you can stay informed about the latest news in a new format, follow updates from authors and bloggers without interrupting communication with friends or colleagues,}}

{{quote 'author = noted Farit Khusnoyarov, vice president of VK, head of VK Messenger. | At the first stage of the community in VK Messenger, this is primarily a convenient additional source for exchanging information. We will closely monitor feedback from content creators and users of VK Messenger, as well as continue to develop new tools that will allow you to spend time online with the greatest benefit and comfort, increasing involvement in author's content,}}

Earlier, VK Messenger presented a big update for organizing a comfortable personal and workspace online. The application has the opportunity to group chats by folders - for convenient separation of personal, work and training correspondence. In addition, the application is now adapted for large screens. tablets iPad

Personal and Workspace Folders, Faster Chat Video Downloads, and More

VK Messenger presented an update for organizing a comfortable personal and workspace online: application it became possible to group chats by folders - for convenient separation of personal, working and educational correspondence. This was announced by VK on November 9, 2022. In the updated version of the VK Messenger, users will also have access to accelerated video download, exchange files with an increased limit of up to 4 GB and other improvements. In addition, the application is now adapted for large screens. tablets iPad

Folders will help distribute correspondence on various topics, separating personal chats from group chats, and chat bots from dialogues on work and study. This approach will help to restore order with a large number of chats, reduce the risk of losing important messages, as well as maintain a comfortable working and personal space in the digital environment. For example, students can collect chats related to the university, exams and their group in a separate folder. You can add not only chats from VKontakte to folders, but also correspondence with contacts from the phone book.

In the current version of the VK Messenger application, you can add several accounts and quickly switch between them. In particular, for communications on school issues, it is possible to add an educational profile Spherum - a separate closed safe educational and space in VK Messenger, where schoolchildren, teachers and parents can communicate with each other, participate in chats and conferences, exchange educational materials.

In VKontakte chats and in a separate VK Messenger mobile application, including the Shefum training profile, improvements have become available to users: accelerated video download, as well as file sharing of almost any format with an increased limit of up to 4 GB. In addition, the VK Messenger application supports the capabilities of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16: a compact context menu, a contact widget for the Home screen, and the Spotlight function in video calls on compatible tablet models - it will help you stay in the frame while moving.

The company strives to create technological products and services that help users always be on. communications Folders make online communication easier and more productive: this function will help structure communications virtual world in and organize a convenient space both for work and study, and for personal communication - now you do not need to spend time searching for the desired chat or important. information VK continues to develop functionality in VK Messenger taking into account user feedback - and very soon it will pleasantly surprise you with opportunities for communication, information exchange and cross-platform interaction using different devices, noted Farit Khusnoyarov, vice president of VK, head of VK Messenger.

Disappearing from the App Store

On September 27, 2022, it became known that the VK Messenger application had disappeared from the App Store. Read more here.

Launch the Spherical Training Profile

On September 19, 2022, VK introduced a communication service for schools - the Shefum educational profile in VK Messenger. It will help schoolchildren, teachers and parents combine personal and educational correspondence in one application, and also make communication safe, protecting it from outsiders. Read more here.

Start instant translation of text in chats into different languages

Social network Vkontakte announced on August 16, 2022, the launch of an instant translation of text chats into other languages. Messages applications on VKontakte VK Messenger can now be translated from to, Russian or English Spanish Portuguese vice versa. This function will help users get rid of the language barrier when communicating - to get acquainted and communicate with people from different languages, countries practice other languages, and also learn new ones without limiting themselves in sources.

The translation of the message begins only at the request of the user and is carried out exclusively using your own Vkontakte technologies and tools, without the participation of third-party equipment or software solutions. The reliability of machine translation and language definition in messages is provided by a neural network model that is trained on open data and is able to take into account the peculiarities of the vocabulary and manner of communication of users of the social network representing different regions, spheres of activity and interests: for example, VKontakte technology distinguishes slang well and allows you to translate at the level of specialized services both colloquial phrases and artistic or official business materials.

To translate text in a chat, just call the auxiliary menu by clicking on the desired message and select "Translate." In addition, you can listen to the text - for example, to find out exactly how words and phrases sound in another language. The number of languages ​ ​ will gradually increase.

VKontakte exchange billions of messages per day, which allows you to always be in touch and learn something new every day from your friends, colleagues, classmates or loved ones. Instant translations using machine learning technologies will reveal new opportunities to get to know people from different countries, learn languages ​ ​ and find people close in spirit, regardless of the language in which they communicate. By investing the time and knowledge of the VKontakte team in machine learning technology, we are creating more and more useful opportunities for online communication and removing barriers to exciting and fruitful communication, noted Alexander Tobol, technical director of VKontakte.

Earlier, VKontakte launched an automatic translation of publications posted in communities from Russian to English. The function helps users from different countries get acquainted with the special Russian-language content of the social network. The authors had the opportunity to tell a wider audience about themselves.

Messenger warning about suspicious interlocutors

On July 7, 2022 social network Vkontakte , she announced that application it had become even safer: messenger she would begin to warn about suspicious interlocutors using a special banner in group chats and dialogues. Users who encounter a warning banner will be able to instantly send a complaint and add a potential swindler to the blacklist. Chat or dialog will be removed so that members can't click on dangerous links. The function operates in: it mobile application will cover other group chats, including those created by friends, as well as correspondence with those who are not in friends.

The update is part of a big VK Protect initiative. It combines technology solutions that provide protection in VK services. So far, the function is available to some VKontakte users, but everyone will soon have it.

One of our main tasks is to maintain a comfortable environment for VKontakte users. We have developed a system that more effectively prevents spam and other unwanted content. With the help of algorithms, you can predict with a high probability who is behind the account: a bot, a fraudster or a normal respectable user and, if necessary, warn about the danger. Thanks to this timely warning, attackers will be much less likely to trap users, commented Marina Krasnova, CEO of VKontakte.

Most users are confident that they can easily recognize spam and phishing. Practice says something else: over 90% of successful "hacks" of corporate and personal accounts are carried out by attackers using ataxocial engineering. Thanks to this function, VKontakte users will be even better protected from potential scammers and will be able to interrupt correspondence with them with one button. It can be of particular benefit to the elderly, adolescents and anyone who is not confident enough in their knowledge of cybersecurity and cannot always resist the attacks of scammers on their own, noted Aleksei Volkov, Vice President, Director of Information Security of VK.

Information security is a key priority for VK. The company regularly conducts internal and external audits, applies the most effective and current world practices in the field of data protection and engages third-party researchers.

Launch of a separate mobile messenger application

On May 17, 2022, the social network Vkontakte"" announced the launch of a separate application for conducting correspondence and sending photo and video content "VK Messenger."

In the new service, you can communicate with friends from VKontakte and contacts from the phone book. Users have access to group chats for more than 1000 people, disappearing messages, audio and video calls without restrictions, the ability to record audio messages and read their decryptions, send music, stickers, photos, videos and stories, as well as files weighing up to 2 GB, share geoposition, transfer money. If the message was sent to a person who is not in friends, they will receive a request for correspondence.

Among the functions that are not in the main VK application is the ability to hide the time of the last activity and correspondence in phantom chats - all messages in them will disappear after a while. The mobile messenger also supports a "dark theme" and provides personalization opportunities. Users can archive irrelevant correspondence and fix the most important ones at the top of the list of chats, the VKontakte message says.

Every day, VKontakte users exchange billions of messages - this is one of the most popular services on the platform. We record a significant increase in activity in chats and calls, so we strive to provide more tools for communication. The new application responds to requests from users who prefer individual applications for different scenarios, - said the general director of VKontakte Marina Krasnova, whose words are quoted by the company's press service.

According to her, the messenger will quickly receive new functions, taking into account the wishes and reviews of users. By May 17, 2022, "VK Messenger" is available in beta.^[1]

2020: Availability of TalkBank's Express Checkout System

On August 10, 2020, TalkBank announced the launch of an instant transfer service by phone number in instant messengers.

According to the company, the TalkBank fast payment system for August 2020 is available to users of five messengers: WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Vkontakte, Facebook. You can even make translations using Alice's voice assistant. Read more here.

2018: Beta testing of secure voice and video calls in VK Messenger for desktop PCs

December 27, 2018 Mail.ru Group announced that beta testing of protected voice and has begun in the VK Messenger desktop app. video calls You can call any user Vkontakte who has upgraded VK Messenger to the latest version or installed VK mobile application for or. iOS Android

As in applications for iOS and Android, enciphering end-to-end encryption provides call security. It passes on the user's device, so no one can find out the contents of the conversations. It is not technically possible to transfer keys and gain access to information outside the device. To improve the quality of communication, Peer-to-Peer routes receive the highest priority. In this case, the connection passes directly between users. If there is no direct connection, traffic is transmitted via servers VKontakte without the technical ability to access the content of conversations.

The call service determines the quality of the connection and adapts to it. The ICE (Interactive Connectivity Establishment) protocol is responsible for this technology. It builds the most optimal routes for calls, eliminates delays and significantly increases stability.

Holidays are the time for long conversations with loved ones. In this case, it is more convenient to use a computer for calls, not a phone. Therefore, on the eve of the New Year, we provide our users with the opportunity to communicate comfortably - and add voice and video calls to VK Messenger. For December 2018, the functions are in beta testing status, but soon we will offer updated useful features that will make conversations even more pleasant.

Notes