Facebook's chat sidebar tells whether friends are active online or mobile

Many Facebook users noticed that the chat sidebar now has active icons for web and mobile, as well as the mobile icon.

This was a change by Facebook showing whether or not the user is actively on their phone or web — similar to the newest version of Facebook Messenger.

If there’s just the mobile icon, the message will go to their phone and they will see it when they engage with their phone again.

A Facebook spokesperson described the new feature:

This feature gives you a better understanding of where your friend will receive your message.

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