Is FB Messenger’s new split bill feature a party planner for students?

Students are often in a tight spot financially, but that is never a show stopper for them. The trouble comes later, when quick loans from friends have to be tracked and paid, and the bills paid at the end of a great meal. Facebook has come up with a new bill splitting feature that might come in handy in situations like these. What is it all about?  

What is the Split Payments feature in FB Messenger?  
FB recently announced the arrival of a new Split Payments feature in Messenger. It will first be rolled out in the USA, followed by other markets. As the name suggests, this feature allows users to calculate and split expenses with others in the chat app. It’s meant to make splitting costs easier. For example, if a user has just finished shopping with friends, he or she can load, calculate and split bills right there, distribute to friends on chat, and agree on who is paying what. It’s obviously faster than opening Messenger, Calculator, and maybe one more app.  

Who are the target users of Split Payments?  
The publicity material put up by FB on its blog and sent out to sites gives us examples or use cases of the Split Payments feature. They said it will help users share the large bills, expenses, and payments. They cited examples of those who share an apartment as roommates and need to split the monthly rent and other expenses, or people attending a group dinner. From these examples, it’s quite clear that FB is aiming a young and student crowd for the app. A teen party might end in just and equal payments on part of all the kids with this app, which is definitely a good way to avoid post-party arguments.  

How will Split Payments work?  
Users start by loading expenses and then adding as many people as they want to split it with. The default setting divides the total into equal parts. The user can also modify each person's contribution. Once the splits are ready, all users who need to pay get a notification. Once payment is made, it will be marked ‘completed’ for that user. All these details can also be shared in the group chat thread so that it remains transparent.