LinkedIn ‘finally’ redesigns ugly messaging service

That’s about to change with a top-to-bottom redesign that even the social network admits is a long time coming. “The wait is over,” LinkedIn said on its blog today announcing the changes, with the word “finally!” in the post’s title.

Users will eventually see a new messaging feature that resembles Facebook Messenger’s desktop version. Messages are designed in a “chat-style interface,” making it easier to organize, and LinkedIn revamped its pesky email notifications to alert people when they have new messages.

Of course, what would a messaging tool would be without the ability to express emotions in GIFs, emojis and stickers, which are now supported. The new interface will start rolling out today to desktop, iOS and Android users.

Here’s what the new version looks like:

For future iterations, LinkedIn appears to be taking a page from Gmail, with new tools including “intelligent messaging assistants that can help suggest people you should message.”

LinkedIn also hinted that it’s experimenting with video-to-video conversations, which could possibly make it a worthwhile competitor to Facebook Messenger or Google Hangouts.

Private messaging has been area social networks have been focusing on lately. Twitter recently dropped the 140-character limit on Direct Messages, Facebook is rolling out a “virtual text assistant  in Messenger and Google christened Hangouts with a new look for desktop users.

Image courtesy of LinkedIn.