In April, Facebook announced it would be splitting off messaging on mobile devices into the separate, more fully featured Messenger app. After testing the strategy in Europe, Facebook said Monday that the rest of world will also have to switch very soon. Within "the next few days," all users should receive a notification in the app that they must download Messenger in order to send and receive messages.
"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," read a statement issued by Facebook to NBC News. Once the rollout takes effect in the next few days, users who see the notification will have one week to download Messenger, after which time messaging in the main app will no longer function. Messaging in the browser, however, on either mobile or desktop, will be unaffected by the change.
IN-DEPTH
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SOCIAL
— Devin Coldewey, NBC News
