Messenger is now globally available to anyone without a Facebook account

Back in June, Facebook made a big move to separate Messenger from the social network by allowing users in the US, Canada, Venezuela and Peru to sign up without a Facebook account.

Now it’s expanding the functionality globally. Messenger team member David Marcus posted on his page to showcase the expanded logins. As before, people without a Facebook account will be required to log in using a full name and phone number.

Of course, Facebook still suggests you sign up with your social account, as this allows you to continue a conversation across various devices.

Facebook has been treating Messenger more as an independent platform lately rather than just a subset of its primary network, so this move isn’t surprising. In March it announced the ability to send payments right in your chats, as well as a plan to integrate apps into your messaging.

➤ David Marcus [Facebook]

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