Facebook is making it easier for people to post across Facebook properties and pay for purchases they make on all its platforms. The company’s new Accounts Center, which it announced as a test today, will let people cross-post content across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.
You can use it to post stories to Instagram and Facebook at the same time. There’s also a single sign on option, which Facebook says will give you an easier way to log into the various services and recover your accounts.
Later this year, Facebook Pay will be added to the Accounts Center in the US. You’ll be able to enter your payment information once and use it to buy things or make donations on both Instagram and Facebook.
The company noted that connecting your accounts isn’t mandatory. If you do link Instagram and Facebook in Accounts Center, you can maintain distinct identities across both apps. However, you’ll have the option to sync your name and profile image. If you change one of them on Facebook, Instagram can automatically update your name or photo too.
Facebook has continued to invest in its commerce business with the launch of Facebook Shop and Instagram Shops, so it’s no surprise the company would strive to make shopping easier. The company has also started to unify its platform’s messaging products as part of a broader multiyear push geared toward private messaging, and the Accounts Center continues the incremental process of merging the services into one.
