Facebook Launches Standalone Mobile Messenger App (And It’s Beluga)

http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/09/facebook-launches-standalone-mobile-messenger-app-and-it’s-beluga/

by davidedicillo • 15 years ago

40 17 15 years ago

I'm proud of the team on this one. They've done a great job launching such a polished experience.

Vexenon• 15 years ago

Maybe it's just me, but I love the login screen for Messenger. They made the application simple and unbelievably clean; kudos to their team on it.

I really hope they start to bring this type of experience to Facebook for iPhone.

jayair• 15 years ago

I think this explains it - http://twitter.com/#!/bwalkin/status/101012800406683648

smackfu2• 15 years ago

A lovely login screen. Followed by a not very well explained request for my mobile phone number, so they can send me a text that has a link to Facebook that makes me login again.

All to log in to my Facebook account, which I am already logged in to in the Facebook app on the same phone.

zdrtx• 15 years ago

Do you have login approvals turned on? https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=security&section=a...

drivebyacct2• 15 years ago

Aside from the fact that it's entirely redundant and ignorant of an Android feature meant specifically to appease people who hate repetitiously entering their account credentials. The Facebook Proper app even uses AccountManager properly. Messenger should prompt for permission to access the device's Facebook account and I shouldn't have to retype my credentials. It's the entire point of that API.

I'm sorry, but I'm not typing in my 25 character secure password for another device that will confuse Facebook's Messaging client. I've missed two messages in the last week because it notified me somewhere and then didn't notify me on my desktop when I returned. I just happened to notice because I click on Messages to compose a new one.

hucker2• 15 years ago

Unavailable in Norway for Android at least. What is the reasoning behind that I wonder...

sp332• 15 years ago

Maybe the localization wasn't ready in time for launch?

rodh257• 15 years ago

Not available in AU either, but someone has uploaded the APK according to the comments of this post http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2011/08/this-is-the-facebook-messe...

canistr• 15 years ago

I'm disappointed this is for Android 2.2 and up. Not all of us Android users have that available nor are we finished our contracts that allow us to upgrade to a new device.

Facebook should have made it compatible with at least 2.0/2.1.

lukejduncan• 15 years ago

Facebook on Android is a consistently bad experience. What's worse, I occasionally deactivate my account for periods of time to focus on school / work /etc. The app comes pre-installed on my HTC so I can't remove it. However, it keeps trying to authenticate and randomly gives me can't-authenticate errors or launches the browser to a facebook login. Pretty disappointing experience.

hucker2• 15 years ago

The design and how it works when it works is pretty good in my opinion, but stuff like what you mention is making me hate the facebook app with a passion. If I get for example a "1 new message" notification, and I press it, nine out of ten times nothing will happen or the app will open to a blank messaging screen, showing nothing (and will stay that way).

covercash• 15 years ago

Does anyone know if they sync your contacts to their server? I know the Facebook app on the iPhone has a button to sync them, but a messaging app that relies on your contact list seems like it might just make that assumption and automatically do it.

bgertzfield• 15 years ago

I'm an engineer on the Facebook Messenger team.

Quick answer: Messenger does not sync your contacts to the server.

Official answer to the inaccurate meme that's going around: https://www.facebook.com/facebook/posts/10150353502026729

You might wonder how we match up your Facebook friends with your contacts so you don't see duplicates in the list: with Messenger, instead of doing it on the server, matching and de-duplicating of Facebook friends and local address book contacts is all done on the client.

The only time Messenger will send a phone number from your local address book to the server is when you use Messenger to send an SMS message to:

1) A non-Facebook user, or

2) A Facebook user who doesn't have a mobile contact point already on the server

robgough• 15 years ago

Doesn't seem to be available in the UK yet.

teilo• 15 years ago

It astounds me that Facebook would release a new messaging app, and it's still not a hybrid iPhone/iPad app. Still have to put up with crappy scaling.

Seriously, what's with you guys?

Facebook Launches Standalone Mobile Messenger App (And It’s Beluga)

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