Facebook launches Messenger chat app for Android, iPhone

By on Aug 9, 2011 at 5:20 PM
mobile August 9, 2011

Facebook announced on Tuesday that it has released a new application called “Messenger” for Android and the iPhone. Messenger allows users to quickly chat with friends, create group chats, share their location or photos and more. It doesn’t appear that Facebook will tie it in with its Facebook Chat application just yet, but you can access your Facebook inbox from the new app. Unfortunately, it does not offer the same delivered/read alerts that competing services such as BBM, iMessage and WhatsApp offer. The free application is available in both the Android Market and the iTunes App Store now. Facebook acquired a messaging platform called Beluga in March and this is likely the preliminary fruit of that purchase.

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21 Comments

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  • Anonymous

    …Why?

    • Michael Scrip

      Facebook is trying to become the default messaging/IM/chat client of the world.

      Some people use Facebook Messaging the same way Blackberry users use BBM.

      By having a separate app… it’s quicker to check your messages… without all of the other distractions of Facebook.

      Think about it… instead of convincing all your friends to start using some other chat platform… you can continue to use Facebook where your friends are already.

      • Anonymous

        You can’t even see online friends. Half baked app already needs an update. Nice.

      • Michael Scrip

        Right… but remember old-school IM programs?  When your friends were “online” they were actually sitting in front of their computer.

        Nowadays with smartphones… it’s a little different.  I guess if you’re holding the phone you’d be “online”

    • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

      Good question….what version of DROID OS will I need to run this app? 

    • http://www.facebook.com/people/Zach-Epiner/100002682922630 Zach Epiner

      I just paiid $21.87 for an iPad2-32GB and my girlfriend loves her Panasonic Lumix GF 1 Camera that we got for $38.76 there arriving tomorrow by UPS. I will never pay such expensive retail prices in stores again. Especially when I also sold a 40 inch LED TV to my boss for $657 which only cost me $62.81 to buy. Here is the website we use to get it all from, http://to.ly/aUlw

  • http://twitter.com/GRZLA Grizzly Atoms

    I downloaded this because it was spamming my facebook app, its basically a facebook inbox application. This is just another nail in the coffin of Facebook.

    • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

      yes since Google+ is just thriving LOL!!!! Don’t be a g4ifish Grizzly

      • http://twitter.com/GRZLA Grizzly Atoms

        G+ is light years ahead of facebook. Saying that this Facebook Messenger isn’t a direct copy of Huddles from G+ is comical at best.

    • sirpaul

      This is very handy. I don’t want to see the news feed every time I want to chat with Facebook friends.

  • Mike

    Why have a separate app when they could have integrated in their existing Facebook app??? Just too many separate app IMO.

    • Scott Edwards

      As someone who actually uses the Facebook messaging platform a LOT, the separate app is actually much nicer.  It’s nice to separate the chat from the rest of the app.  Chat and messages are still in the original app, but seriously just suck compared with the messaging app.  I might be the only person, but I’m thrilled this is released.  I’ve been using Beluga since they popped in the news following the FB acquisition and it’s one of my favorite group chat apps.  They did a great job of combining the things i loved about Beluga with the FB messaging platform.

  • Gewaf

    a link would have been nice…

  • Anonymous

    Everyone trying to be BBM. Imitators but not duplicators.

    • Scott Edwards

      I’d use BBM if i didn’t require using a Blackberry phone…I’d just use a dumb phone and get a tablet before I’d use a Blackberry (obviously a just a personal preference, but I hate them)

      • Anonymous

        Hate them?  did BlackBerry abuse you when you were young?

      • Anonymous

        Show me where the bad phone touched you…

  • Anonymous

    Very innovative app.. I’m impressed

  • http://www.droiddoes.com/ Norm

    Google already has a messenger app G TALK natively on DROID so I don’t need this.  All of my friends (~3) already switched over to G+.  They may never use it like everyone else, but at least I don’t have to look at people with friends on facebook.  GOOGLE+ and DROID FTW!!!!!

    • Hey Hey Were The Monkeys

      I like iNorm better!!

  • Anonymous

    it’s working pretty well on my Nexus S so far.

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