Facebook has announced today that it will no longer allow messaging in its main mobile application later this week. Instead, any users who wish to take advantage of the company’s messaging platform will have to do so through the standalone Facebook Messenger app.
Earlier this year the comapany started informing some European users of the upcoming move to the separate app, but this is the first time a solid timetable has been set for the transition. For users who already have the Messenger app installed, nothing will change. Once the change goes into effect, the “Messages” tab in the Facebook client will simply link to the Messenger app rather than an inbox view.
Facebook said in a statement:
In the next few days, we’re continuing to notify more people that if they want to send and receive Facebook messages, they’ll need to download the Messenger app. As we’ve said, our goal is to focus development efforts on making Messenger the best mobile messaging experience possible and avoid the confusion of having separate Facebook mobile messaging experiences. Messenger is used by more than 200 million people every month, and we’ll keep working to make it an even more engaging way to connect with people.
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Multiple apps for Facebook? Good luck with that.
This decision to be reversed in 3…2…
Just wait until they check their metrics later in the year.
I wish you were right, but sadly, they won’t give a … hoot. We don’t use fb, fb uses us.
Doesn’t really matter, the iOS app has been pushing you to the app for months. With that said, I thinks its a mistake. IF people adopt the messenger app in masse then they will use the mobile FB app less. IF they don’t, then they won’t use the messaging service at all. Either way its a loss for FB , an even bigger loss if they use the main mobile app less.
i bet people will stop using Facebook apps altogether and just go to safari and Facebook.com. That’s what I started doing after their new app updated started laging on my phone
Facebook seperated in two apps for messaging is so uncomfortable in mobile app that this is useless!
two apps for one thing – more battery drain and time consuming when someone send message in FB then you need to go into seperate app to read this. i hate it!
No way I’m downloading a separate Facebook app just for messages. I don’t communicate that way anyway and if I really need to check one, I’ll get on a computer.
I don’t understand why Facebook would make you switch to another messaging App when they already own What’sApp? What’s the point of buying it then?
They cannot merge or associate Whatsapp with Facebook by any means or people will run away from Whatsapp.
The point of buying it is to make sure it doesn’t get more popular than your service. Its a business move, not a move to improve their messaging system, it’s sad but thats how it works.
I already stopped using the Facebook app after they buried Most Recent, and now they want us to use multiple apps? Nope!
Which is why I’m still running 8.0! And I’m expecting they also won’t be able to kill messaging in 8.0 neither, as it came out long before the decision to kill messaging, and I doubt it has the switches in place to stop messages from working.
In Europe the change is allready in effect, and I can sadly inform you that yes, messaging stops working in the existing app. It’s very frustrating :(
Messaging stil works on the old version! Just don’t update!!
What about Paper?
Not sure what made them decide to do so, but I would rather stop using Facebook than download multiple apps for it
That’s a very stupid idea.
People still use the FB?
Does this apply to Paper as well?
I was wondering the same thing regarding Paper.
I don’t like how Facebook now requires multiple apps to use their service.
I’ve not been able to view Facebook messages in the iOS app for a few months now, and it’s really annoying as it tells you there’s a message but refuses to show you it unless you download the separate app or view the mobile web version.
Removing core features from your app seems a very strange thing to do, and Foursquare is doing the same with removing the check-in part of the their app and putting in a separate one. Why? Switching apps all the time is a pain, and I really can’t see a reason for it.
HAHA stupid facebook!
This is going to end well….
Facebook is confused! I hate when companies force you to use their service (you remember youtube forcing users to google+ ?)… I was fine with a stand alone Facebook app with all functions…. ”Make something people don’t need at all (we were just fine before Facebook), suck them into it till they can’t live without it, then no matter what you do they will go with it…” thats what’s up…
Just dont download the update for FB. I hate messenger, was much easier and natural to use the FB app on iphone like I do on ipad…I have to destroy messenger before its too late.
Unfortunatley it doesn’t work that way. Facebook doesn’t need to update their app for this. They can do it over-the-air by flipping a switch on your account. The changes are already built into the current version of the Facebook application.
You’re right. That’s why I’m still on 8.0 and have a backup of this version just in case.
Old news. This happened like a month ago.
Only for a handful of users. As mentioned in the post, Facebook never set a timetable for the change or confirmed their intention to roll it out worldwide until today.
FB messenger is all i have on my phone because i think FB is a waste of time. that being said i think this is a dumb idea! i think a lot of people will be pissed and just stop using the messaging service because they will think FB botched a update!
is this a joke? so i’m going to need another facebook to facebook my friends on facebook but outside of facebook? what tha facebook?
What’s with social networks having separate apps for each aspect? Facebook=Messenger+Pages App and also Foursquare, Swarm
They disabled messaging for me some time ago on iPad and later on iPhone. And guess what? I stopped using Facebook Messanger all together. I didn’t like it before but after forcing me to use some stupid “yet another app” I said goodbye, there are other forms of communication, without selling my privacy to Zuckerberg corporation.
And I will be uninstalling the fb app and just use safari to access fb.
Unfortunately I’ve been forced download the Messenger app a while ago… But I’m still amazed how stupid this idea is. And uncomfortable to use as hell: I open the Facebook app and see that I have a new message, click it and it opens another app. It’s just stupid.
Apple does a similar thing with an enormous fragmentation off apps: iTunes, App Store, iBooks store… have mercy. Can’t they just make one app with tabs for different departments. It’s as if Amazon made 100 apps for each department they have… Stop making my phone screen so cluttered. I’m not 5, I can figure out one app with multiple stores. And one app with 2 functionalities: Facebook stuff and messages. Mercy
Nothing new for me, I feel Facebook has redirected me to the Messenger app almost everywhere, just even pressing reply has opened the Messenger app.
But you could tell this was going to happen when Facebook even asks you (almost force you) to install Messenger for Facebook if you don’t have it installed.
Do they even use Facebook on mobile? How is it possible that they have no idea how annoying this is?! Separate app for Pages, for Photos, AND for Messages. Yeah, that’s what your users want: A MORE INCONVENIENT EXPERIENCE. And holy crap is it ever inconvenient.
This is a perfect move if they’re actually trying to get people to stop using it completely, which I will do my best to do.
There are a lot of people (see: everyone) at the Facebook offices who apparently get paid (a lot) to just say “yes, that’s a great idea” to everything they see.
I uninstalled the Facebook messaging app earlier this year as it was just consuming far too much battery, have zero intention of reinstalling it.
Another company called Foursquare did this. It’s not working out too well for them. Both of their apps are getting nothing but one star reviews. That would be like all these tech blogs that have apps separating the news part into one app and the forums part into another app. Just stupid.
The first rule of advertising is to drive traffic to your site, not away from it. I’m not sure what they are thinking.
Finally. I’ve always been annoyed getting double notifications from both the stand-alone app and messenger. Does this apply with Facebook Paper?
I have read a few of there statements pushing how it will be easier mesaging mesagener. Personally it should be my choice wether I want to use a another app.
When I would talk to my mom I would go to her profile view new pic that she had uploaded & mesage her from there .But not with the change they have made I can not even go to my mother profile unless I use mesagener .
So it,s not just the way we write each otisher that facebook. It is the way we view each other.
I will be honest I am poor .I live on SSI and after bills I am lucky if I have $100.00 for food . So I have Metro PCs for a carrier & the cheapest LG phone they had. And if anybody knows the cheaper phones have no user memory.
So putting another app ib is just out of the question . And for me it is a rather large app.( 89.5 mb ).
I mean its fine if you like the app but don,t force your user to use it thats not right . It shold be up to your users. Why can,t it be our choice ? Why can,t we use your site the way it has been since fb started if we want ,
How about this ,ebay gives you the choice at the bottom of there page or if you use the web .You can choose to use there Classic Site .Which the app is nice dor quick viewing .But Classic is much better for detail.
I miss going to my mom profile and looking at new pic,s she uploads .I miss her leaving me and I her mesages.In the last month we have only chatted twice.Because I live in California , she lives in Ky & there is a three hr time differance..
So now with the way they have fb set up I only get to chat with a friend if they had just posted something in the last 24 hr .
I understand that the way of the new app is so people will not get unwantd mes.from people
the do not even know .
And I was one of thoose peolpe that would be on fb everyday. But not anymore.Now there luxky if I go on 4-5 times a week.And like I said before it is because I can not even go to a family members profile anymore.
..Thanks. Facebook for making me miss my mother again .
Very simple, I disabled the Facebook app on my last update. I will have it back when it goes back to one app. The Message app would have to be the worst app I have come across!