Does your Facebook Messenger/ Instagram say “Some features not available”?

Many Facebook and Instagram messenger users are seeing a banner at the top of their screen saying

Some Features Not Available

This is to respect new rules for messaging services in Europe. We’re working to bring them back.

The main question on everyone's mind is, what features are missing, and why?

It is part of a drive for Facebook (who own Instagram) to comply with new privacy rules in Europe and the European area. It is currently affecting:

• Europe pages in all chats

• Pages with admins in Europe in all chats

• Any chats with people in Europe

Impacted countries: All of the 30 European Economic Area (EEA) countries, which includes:

• All 27 European Union member states

• Norway

• Iceland

• Liechtenstein

• United Kingdom

The current changes mean the following services are impacted:

• Audio, video and document integration, meaning nothing but text can be sent, no christmas gifs for a while!

• Buttons (desktop version only, it is still possible on the mobile versions)

• Galleries (desktop version only, it is still possible on the mobile versions)

• Persistent menu

• Handover protocol (One time Notification API)

• Other graphic elements

Facebook have said they are looking into restoring these features, but for now, you might have to cut back on the festive gifs and voice notes!