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Messenger is an American proprietary instant messaging service developed by Meta Platforms, the company that operates Facebook. Originally developed as Facebook Chat in 2008, the client application of Messenger is currently available on iOS and Android mobile platforms, through the Messenger.com web application, and on the standalone Meta Portal hardware.
Messenger is used to send messages and exchange photos, videos, stickers, audio, and files, and also react to other users' messages and interact with bots. The service also supports voice and video calling. The standalone apps support using multiple accounts, conversations with end-to-end encryption, and playing games. There are also group chats where you can connect with multiple people at once in a private space such as Panama Chat.
With a monthly userbase of over 1 billion people, it is among the largest social media platforms.
History
Following tests of a new instant messaging platform on Facebook in March 2008, the feature, then-titled "Facebook Chat", was gradually released to users in April 2008. Facebook revamped its messaging platform in November 2010, and subsequently acquired group messaging service Beluga in March 2011, which the company used to launch its standalone iOS and Android mobile apps on August 9, 2011. Facebook later launched a BlackBerry version in October 2011. An app for Windows Phone, though lacking features including voice messaging and chat heads, was released in March 2014. In April 2014, Facebook announced that the messaging feature would be removed from the main Facebook app and users will be required to download the separate Messenger app. An iPad-optimized version of the iOS app was released in July 2014. On April 8, 2015, Facebook launched a website interface for Messenger. A Tizen app was released on July 13, 2015. Facebook launched Messenger for Windows 10 in April 2016. In October 2016, Facebook released Messenger Lite, a stripped-down version of Messenger with a reduced feature set. The app is aimed primarily at old Android phones and regions where high-speed Internet is not widely available. In April 2017, Messenger Lite was expanded to 132 more countries. In May 2017, Facebook revamped the design for Messenger on Android and iOS, bringing a new home screen with tabs and categorization of content and interactive media, red dots indicating new activity, and relocated sections.
Facebook announced a Messenger program for Windows 7 in a limited beta test in November 2011. The following month, Israeli blog TechIT leaked a download link for the program, with Facebook subsequently confirming and officially releasing the program. The program was eventually discontinued in March 2014. A Firefox web browser add-on was released in December 2012, but was also discontinued in March 2014.
In December 2017, Facebook announced Messenger Kids, a new app aimed for persons under 13 years of age. The app comes with some differences compared to the standard version. In 2019, Messenger announced to be the 2nd most downloaded mobile app of the decade, from 2011 to 2019. In December 2019, Messenger dropped support for users to sign in using only a mobile number, meaning that users must sign in to a Facebook account in order to use the service.
In March 2020, Facebook started to ship its dedicated Messenger for macOS app through the Mac App Store. The app is currently live in regions including France, Australia, Mexico, Poland, and many others.
In April 2020, Facebook began rolling out a new feature called Messenger Rooms, a video chat feature that allows users to chat with up to 50 people at a time. The feature rivals Zoom, an application that gained a lot of popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Privacy concerns arose since the feature uses the same data collection policies as mainstream Facebook.
In July 2020, Facebook added a new feature in Messenger that lets iOS users to use Apple's Face ID or Touch ID to lock their chats. The feature is called App Lock and is a part of several changes in Messenger regarding privacy and security. The option to view only "Unread Threads" was removed from the inbox, requiring the account holder to scroll through the entire inbox to be certain every unread message has been seen.
On October 13, 2020, the Messenger application introduced cross-app messaging with Instagram, which was launched in September 2021. In addition to the integrated messaging, the application announced the introduction of a new logo, which should be an amalgamation of the Messenger and Instagram logo.
The desktop app of Messenger was shut down on December 15, 2025. Messaging services were moved to the Facebook website or Messenger's site for those without an account on the former.
The Messenger site was discontinued on April 16, 2026. Messaging services were moved to the Facebook website on the morning of April 17, 2026; users without a Messenger account were required to use a Facebook account. However, later in 2026, the Messenger.com site continued to be functional.
Features The following is a table of features available in Messenger, as well as their geographical coverage and what devices they are available on. In addition there is a vanishing message feature. In addition there is an audio recording feature which allows audio recordings of up to one minute which may or may not be vanishing:
Feature Added Description Platforms AvailabilityMessaging XMPP usersFebruary 2010 (discontinued)At the time Messenger was called Facebook Chat, in February 2010 Facebook introduced a way to message users across the entire XMPP network. This function was sunset on 30 April 2015. Sign up without a Facebook account December 2012 (discontinued) Android users can sign up to the app without a Facebook account, requiring only a name and phone number. Mobile Global 2024 Users in the European Economic Area can sign up to the app without a Facebook account, requiring only a Messenger account. All European Economic Area Direct messaging October 2013 Users can send messages to other users without the requirement of being friends, as long as the user has the phone number of the other user in their contact list. All Global Chat Heads April 2013 Android users can use round icons with a contact's profile photo, appearing on the screen regardless of which app is open. Mobile Global Money transfer (Messenger Pay) March 2015 A feature for U.S. users to send money to friends. In April 2017, the feature was expanded to support group payments. Mobile U.S. Calls January 2013 In January 2013, Facebook added voice calling to Messenger users in Canada, expanding the feature to users in the United States a few days later. In April 2015, Facebook introduced video calling in select countries. In April 2016, group voice calling was introduced, with a maximum number of 50 call participants. The following December, Facebook enabled group video calling for up to 50 people. In June 2017, Facebook updated video chats to give users the ability to add animated versions of Facebook's reactions on top of their face, such as tears for a crying face and an exploding halo of hearts around the head when sending heart emoji. Additionally, users are able to capture screenshots, and live filters can change the color or lighting in the feed. All Global Location sharing June 2015 Users can tap on a "Location" button and are then shown a map with the ability to pinpoint any location, even if the user themselves is not present at the place. In March 2017, it introduced live location sharing, letting users temporarily share their location with a friend or group of friends for one hour at a time. Mobile Global Business interaction At the Facebook F8 conference on March 25, 2015, Facebook announced that Messenger would start letting users interact with businesses, including track purchases and receive notifications, and have personal conversations with company customer service representatives. Third-party app integration Users are able to open compatible third-party apps inside Messenger, such as a movie ticketing service or GIF generators, and then share those details with the other chat participants. Mobile Global Transportation requests December 2015 Messenger integrated with Uber to let U.S. users request a car directly from the app. Support for Lyft was added in March 2016. Support for UberPOOL was introduced in July 2016. Mobile U.S. SMS support 2012 Facebook implemented support for SMS texting within the Messenger Android app. However, the feature was dropped in 2013 due to "extensive reworking" of the app, with a Facebook product manager stating that the SMS feature "just didn't take off". SMS was once again introduced in testing in February 2016, before the official global rollout started in June. SMS support in Messenger was again removed in September 2023. Android Global Multiple accounts February 2016 Facebook added support for multiple accounts in the apps. Mobile Global Bot platform April 2016 2016 launch In April 2016, Facebook announced a bot platform for Messenger, including an API to build chat bots to interact with users. News publisher bots "message subscribers directly with news and other information", while ride-sharing apps can offer a transportation option, hotel chains can answer questions about accommodations, and air travel companies can allow for check-ins, flight updates and travel changes.
2017 enhancements At the 2017 Facebook F8 conference, Facebook announced a range of enhancements for bots: Bots in group chats: Bots can participate in group chats – not by conversing with the chat participants — but by injecting notifications such as news updates, receipts, sports progress, and more. Chat extensions: Users can interact with dedicated apps, including play games, collaborate on music playlists, and book flights. In addition, Facebook announced a "Discovery" tab, featuring recently used bots, bot categories, trending experiences and search functionality. A preview screen lets users see what each chat would do in a conversation. QR scan: Users can scan special, branded QR codes through Messenger's camera functionality, that take the user directly to a specific bot.