Facebook and its Messenger app to split up

Mumbai: Users of the Facebook mobile app, who have not yet downloaded the Messenger app, will be familiar with being given the option to download the latter every time they visit ‘Messages’ on the social networking website’s app. Soon, it may no longer be a choice, but the only thing left to do.

Facebook messages are bound to disappear from the main Facebook app, and can be accessed only through the Messenger app, as confirmed by a Facebook spokesperson earlier this week.

The split in messaging, which has been rolled out for many users, appears to be only for iPhone and Android patrons. But even among the above platforms, not all have been asked to make the shift. While it’s not clear exactly how long it will take for all of Messenger’s holdouts to see a complete change, the spokesperson said it will continue to roll out over the coming weeks.

Although the main Facebook app has been prompting users to download Messenger since April, when the company announced it would be making the switch, users could still access messages without downloading Messenger until now.

Facebook has gradually been ramping up to this change since early this summer, when it first announced it would be requiring mobile users to download both apps. Last week, Messenger holdouts received an email alerting them their messages would be moved over to the Messenger app in the very near future.

Users, as is consistent with their reaction to change, remain disgruntled by the move. But Facebook has maintained that switching to Messenger will be beneficial to all as it is faster and more reliable. The app, first launched in 2011, has more than 200 million monthly users.