It wasn’t that long ago when Messenger became a separate and standalone app instead of just a feature. And now, it looks like Messenger is about to switch back to the main Facebook app.
When Facebook first spun off Messenger from the main app in 2011, many users were frustrated with the setup. Now billions of users around the world should be using the app as before.
Will Messenger Return to the Facebook App?
According to a discovery by Jane Manchun Wong, an app researcher, Facebook is working to bring Messenger back to the main app. But the company is still working on more tests.
With this new idea, the Facebook application would still work the same way and the Messenger chat button would still be there.
But every time you click the chat button, you won’t go to the separate Messenger app anymore. Instead, you’ll go to a new “chat” section on Facebook.
Wong also said in a follow-up tweet that Messenger has only a few features and that the trial version has basic text, no calls, no videos or photos, and no reactions either.
Due to the limited functionality of the main app, users will need to use the standalone app to send photos, make audio and video calls, and send reactions.
Right now, it’s still unclear when Facebook will roll out the tweaking devices to its one billion users worldwide.
Facebook is integrating all of its messaging apps
All this in an effort to integrate all of Facebook’s platforms. That is, the company is thinking about unifying Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. And for user privacy, Facebook will add end-to-end encryption.
During his earnings call last January, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “The integration that we’re thinking about, we’re thinking about it very soon. There is so much more we need to find out. I think that’s the direction we should go with more stuff going forward.”
Facebook has already announced that it has thousands of developers working on integrating all of its platforms. And the plan is to finish the project at the end of this 2019 or early 2020.
The company said in a statement that its main goal is to improve the messaging experience for users of the Facebook app. That’s why Facebook is testing restoring Messenger in the main Facebook app.
Meanwhile, users can still use the standalone Messenger app and enjoy the features that many love. The app tops as one of the most used tools to connect with friends and family around the world.
Like it or not, users will have to live with the changes that Facebook will reveal. Sooner or later, users will somehow get used to it.
