Facebook Messenger for both Windows and Firefox will go out of commission come March 3, 2014. The social network did not give much of an explanation as to why this is happening. However, if we are to guess, we'd say this move has a lot to do with Facebook realizing that the desktop is not the future, and as such, it should focus elsewhere.
Furthermore, shutting down messenger isn't the only thing Facebook has been doing. Earlier, the company announced that its long forgotten @facebook.com email service would be getting the boot.
"We're sorry, but we can no longer support Facebook Messenger for Windows, and it will stop working on March 3, 2014," according to the message at the top of the application.
"We really appreciate you using Messenger to reach your friends, and we want to make sure you know that you can keep chatting and view all your messages on https://www.facebook.com. Learn more."
Strangely enough, while the Windows and Firefox version of the Messenger app has been removed from the company's website, the iOS and Android versions are still available for download. Either the social network is completely refocusing on mobile apps, or the iOS and Android versions will also be removed soon.
"I can confirm that we are notifying people who use Facebook Messenger for Windows that it will no longer be available as of March 3," according to a Facebook spokesperson who spoke with The Next Web.
Users on Windows who would like to continue using a standalone Facebook Messenger app might have to seek out a third party application, or simply visit the full-blown website for the convenience.
Still, Facebook Messenger is still available as a built-in service on every Windows Phone 8 device out today, so all is not lost for fans of the Microsoft ecosystem. In addition, Microsoft announced earlier that Facebook is working on a version of its Messenger app for Windows Phone 8, and it will be available in the coming weeks. That's good news, as rumors claim the software giant will remove the Facebook implementation in the Windows Phone platform in the next version.
