TikTok has built-in messaging features, so of course Meta is now bringing back the Messenger features that were foolishly removed from the blue app eight years ago.
- What’s happening? Meta has officially begun reintegrating Messenger into the Facebook mobile app after removing its messaging features a few years ago.
- Why care? Messenger shouldn’t have been removed from Facebook at all. It took Meta eight years to realize his mistake, but better late than never!
- What to do? Read the news in Meta Newsroom.
Meta adds Messenger back to the Facebook app
The announcement post talks about what’s next for Facebook, describes how AI will help improve its products, outlines upcoming new features for creators, and changes to monetization. With two billion daily active users, it’s getting harder for the blue app to find new users.
The return of the messaging feature, which was split into its own app back in 2014, should improve the experience for existing users who don’t want to switch apps every time they want to send a message to a Facebook friend.
“We are testing the ability for people to access their Messenger inboxes in the Facebook app,” Facebook CEO Tom Alison wrote in a post. “You’ll soon see how we expand this testing.”Another reason Meta is making this change is probably TikTok, which has always had a built-in messaging feature.
Removing Messenger from the blue app was a mistake
The Messenger inbox is now available in the blue app for a small percentage of users. It is not currently available on the mobile and desktop versions of the Facebook website, but this may change as Meta expands testing of this feature.
This is not the first time Meta is testing this feature.
App researcher Jane Manchun Wong reported in April 2019 that the company is testing messaging features in the Facebook app for iOS and Android. In this test, clicking the Message button in the Facebook app took the user to the Chats tab instead of automatically launching the standalone Messenger app.
“Next year, we will create more ways to integrate Facebook messaging features,” Alison wrote. “Ultimately, we want to make it easy and convenient for people to connect and share, whether it’s on the Messenger app or directly on Facebook.”
Everything we say is better late than never.