Since April, Facebook has been recommending that users use the Facebook Messenger app to chat with friends instead of the main app. The recommendations have become more frequent as Facebook intends to entirely shift messaging functionality over to the Messenger app. Users could still send and receive messages via the main Facebook app, but Facebook has announced that it has started the transition, so you will have to use Messenger for chats soon.
There are some benefits associated with this, for example, if you don’t want to have the main Facebook app on your device, you can use the messenger alone. It is a fast way to reach your friends, and Facebook says it is more reliable.
For Kindle Fire HD users, this is not good: I have been using the Messenger app on my 2013 Kindle Fire HD for a couple of weeks now, and it hasn’t been reliable (most likely due to compatibility issues, the Kindle Fire HD is not a standard Android device), and that app is built for standard Android devices.
- Emoticons don’t work.
- Images can’t be sent.
- Tapping notifications won’t load messages.
‘Last week, Messenger holdouts received an email alerting them their messages would be moved over to the Messenger app in the very near future. Though some users remain unhappy about the move, Facebook has maintained switching to Messenger will benefit all users as messaging with Messenger is faster and more reliable. ‘
They also received a statement from a Facebook spokesperson:
‘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.’
Note: Messages will remain available in the iPad and Windows Phone apps for now.
Is this transition a good idea? Or is it inconvenient? Sound off in the comment section below.
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Source: Mashable (linked above).
