Messenger app takes center stage at Facebook developers' conference

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KGO) -- Facebook has taken over San Francisco's Fort Mason for its biggest developers'conference ever and the app getting all the attention on day one wasn't the Facebook app at all.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg took the stage for an audience from all over, including Jacob "Ba" Blackstone from Canada. ABC7 News first interviewed Ba just over a year ago about his app Bitstrips that makes cartoons starring you. Now, there's Bitmoji.

"It basically turns you into your own personal emoji," Ba said.

Bitmoji has its own app, but Ba's more excited about the introduction of the Messenger platform. The Messenger app is what Facebook all but forced users to download by removing the chat function from its regular app.

"I think a lot of people were really upset by that and I think now you can really start to see why they did it," said Venture Beat senior writer Daniel Terdiman.

Facebook's working with developers like Ba to put their apps inside Messenger.

"They're realizing that communication now is so much more than just text," Ba said.

Besides Bitmoji, there's JibJab which makes graphical greetings from within a conversation.

Spice Girl Mel B was at the conference with promoting a messenger app called PingTank.

"You take a picture, then you can then blow it up, shower it with kisses, put flowers on it," Mel B said.

The new face of Messenger isn't all fun and games. Facebook wants you to use it for everything and that includes interacting with businesses, even paying for things.

"I don't actually know anyone who actually likes calling businesses, so think about how useful it would be if you could just message a business," said Mark Zuckerberg during Wednesday's event.

Facebook envisions one conversation that contains receipts, shipping updates and lets customers ask questions, or return things.

"There may be some people who are like mmm, I'm not sure I want to give Facebook all this information, but if it's all in one place and they don't have to go looking around for three different emails," Terdiman added.

And if customer service isn't getting the message, send a Bitmoji.