You’ve probably seen it. That shimmering blue-purple circle sitting quietly in the corner of your WhatsApp, Instagram, or Messenger. Maybe you tapped it by accident, or maybe you’ve been actively ignoring it.
I was the same. I use ChatGPT and Claude daily on my laptop, so why would I want an AI cluttering up my personal group chats?
But then I got curious. Could the convenience of having an AI right where I’m already texting beat the power of a standalone app? I decided to force myself to use nothing but Meta AI for a full week. I planned trips, generated images, and settled debates.
Here is the honest breakdown of what’s actually useful, what’s annoying, and how to get the most out of it.
⚡ Quick Look: Is Meta AI Worth Using?
[START BOX]
- Best For: Instant answers without leaving your chat app. It’s incredibly fast.
- The “Killer” Feature: Real-time image generation. You type, and the image morphs as you add details.
- My Verdict: It doesn’t replace ChatGPT for heavy work (coding, long writing), but for quick questions and fun visuals, it’s unbeatable on mobile.
- Pro Tip: In a group chat, type @Meta AI to settle an argument instantly without Googling it yourself.
[END BOX]
First, Where Is It? (And How Do I Start?)
If you haven’t found it yet, you aren’t crazy. Meta rolled this out gradually, and the placement varies slightly by app.
In WhatsApp and Instagram:
It is usually a small, multi-colored circle icon located right above your chat list (or in the search bar).
When you tap it, it opens a standalone chat window. It looks exactly like a DM with a friend, except this friend is powered by Llama 3 (Meta’s smartest AI model).
Test 1: The “Imagine” Feature (This is Fun)
This was the first thing I tried that genuinely impressed me. Unlike other tools where you wait 30 seconds for an image, Meta AI generates images in near real-time as you type.
I wanted to make a funny image for my fantasy football group chat.
My Prompt: “Imagine a sad hamster wearing a football jersey in the rain.”
As soon as I typed “sad hamster,” the image appeared. When I added “wearing a jersey,” it updated instantly. It’s incredibly fast.
How to do it:
- Open the Meta AI chat.
- Type /imagine followed by your idea.
- Hit send.
- You can even long-press the result to animate it into a GIF.
Test 2: The Group Chat Assistant
This is where Meta AI shines—or gets annoying, depending on how you use it.
I was in a group chat trying to plan a dinner. We were debating which Thai places in the city were open late. Usually, I’d switch apps, open Google Maps, search, and screenshot the results.
Instead, I stayed in the chat and typed:
@Meta AI find top-rated Thai restaurants in downtown open past 10 PM.
The Result:
It dropped a list of three restaurants with ratings and closing times right into the chat stream. Everyone could see it.
The Catch:
You have to invite it. It doesn’t read your messages automatically (privacy win), but once you summon it with @Meta AI, it replies to the whole group. My friends thought it was cool the first time, but I can see it becoming clutter if overused.
Test 3: Search and Current Events
Since Meta AI has access to the internet (via Bing and Google), I wanted to see if I could trust it for news.
I asked: “What is the score of the game right now?” and “Who won the Oscar for Best Actor last year?”
The Good:
It gave accurate, up-to-date answers with links to the sources. This is a massive advantage over the free version of ChatGPT, which can sometimes have outdated knowledge cuts.
The Bad:
It’s brief. If you want a deep dive into a topic, it tends to give you a “snippet” style answer. It prioritizes speed over depth.
The Big Question: Can I Turn It Off?
I checked Reddit, and this is the #1 question people are asking. Some people hate the blue circle staring at them.
The bad news: As of right now, you cannot fully disable the Meta AI integration if your app has updated. It is built into the interface.
The workaround:
You can delete the chat thread just like any other conversation.
- Go to your chat list.
- Long press the “Meta AI” chat.
- Select Delete.
It removes the conversation history, but that little search bar icon will likely remain.
So, What’s the Bottom Line?
After a week, I stopped using Google for simple queries on my phone.
If I need to write an email or debug code, I still go to my computer and use ChatGPT. But for the 50 times a day I wonder “How long to boil an egg?” or “Show me a picture of a cyberpunk cat,” Meta AI is just faster because it’s already in the app I’m holding.
My Final Recommendation:
Don’t fight it. Treat it like a smart search bar. Next time you’re arguing with a friend in a group chat about a movie release date, just tag @Meta AI and let it settle the score.
Have you tried the image generator yet? Drop a comment below with the weirdest thing you’ve asked it to create!
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