This week, Facebook will be notifying mobile users that messaging through its native app will no longer be supported. Instead, users will get an alert on their mobile devices to download the company's separate messaging application.
Much to the chagrin of many Facebook users, this change is one of many that the company is making to its social media website and mobile apps. Europe saw the roll-out of the messaging app, Messenger, earlier this year, but now Facebook is releasing it worldwide. Unfortunately, users don't have a choice of using the app or not, particularly if they want to Facebook message family and friends on their phones and tablets.
So why would the company make this change that's sure to anger many users? Facebook says that the messaging mobile app is 20% faster and more reliable than messaging with their traditional app. There was no mention of why the company considers this a better solution than upgrading the messaging system in their native app.
However, users will see new features with messaging through Messenger. Facebook users can now send photos and videos using the service, as well as have group conversations. The service also offers free voice calls and animated stickers. Most of these features aren't new per se, as they're already available via Facebook on the web, but not on the company's mobile app.
"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," a Facebook spokesperson said to Business Insider. "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."
According to Facebook, more than 200 million people are using Messenger, but Facebook has over 1 billion users, and it is probable that many of them won't like having this app forced on them. However, most Facebook users, even those who complain about changes to the site and mobile apps, still seem attracted to the social network, even after being part of the site's recent psychological experiment.
Mobile users will start seeing prompts this week for downloading the Messenger App, which is now available for iOS devices, Android and Windows phones. Fortunately, if you're using Facebook on your PC, you will not need the separate messaging app.
