Save over 40% when you secure your tickets today to TNW Conference 💥 Prices will increase on November 22 →

This article was published on November 14, 2013

Redesigned Facebook Messenger with phone number integration opens to Android and iOS users


Redesigned Facebook Messenger with phone number integration opens to Android and iOS users

1-horzLast month Facebook began testing a new version of its standalone Messenger app for Android that integrated phone number-based messaging and notifications for active Messenger users, and today the update rolled out “more broadly” to Android and iOS users.

The update brings a new look and feel — including a redesigned logo — and a Messenger icon to indicate which contacts are logged from the standalone Messenger app. It is also possible to communicate with people who are not friends using only their phone number, once a user has registered their own number first.

The move to double down on new “mobile-to-mobile” messaging features comes as the chat app space continues to grow at pace. Market leader WhatsApp has more 350 million active users, while Asian apps like Line (which is approaching 300 million downloads) are also blossoming and remain more feature-rich than Messenger.

➤ Messenger: iOS | Android

Headline image via Mari Smith / Flickr

Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. While we only ever write about products we think deserve to be on the pages of our site, The Next Web may earn a small commission if you click through and buy the product in question.

Get the TNW newsletter

Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.

Also tagged with


Published
Back to top