Facebook Messenger

Facebook Messenger
Developer(s) Facebook
Initial release August 9, 2011 (2011-08-09)
Stable release

Varies with device (Android) (July 17, 2016 (2016-07-17)) [±][1]
84.0 (iOS) (August 19, 2016 (2016-08-19)) [±][2]
Info Needed (Windows 10) (May 0, 2016 (2016-05-00)) [±][3]
1.1.294 (BlackBerry OS) (September 25, 2012 (2012-09-25)) [±]

[4]
Development status Active
Operating system Android, IOS, BlackBerry OS, Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, Symbian, Tizen
Type Instant messaging
License Freeware
Website www.messenger.com

Facebook Messenger (sometimes abbreviated as Messenger)[5] is an instant messaging service and software application which provides text and voice[6] communication. Integrated with Facebook's web-based Chat feature and built on the open MQTT protocol,[7] Messenger lets Facebook users chat with friends both on mobile and on the main website.

On October 3, 2016, Facebook launched Facebook Messenger Lite to attract more users, particularly, those running Android operating system on 2G network. This light-weight app, 10MB file-size, is a stripped down version of Messenger. It skips notification sounds, voice calling and other features that increase the loading time. However, users would be able to use the basic attributes of Messenger such as emojis, stickers, and photo and link sharing. The app targets the regions or consumer-base that is devoid of high-speed Internet connection. Facebook Messenger Lite available in Kenya, Tunisia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Venezuela, and is set to come to other countries later.[8]

Facebook has reported that Facebook Messenger has reached 1 billion monthly active users.[9] David A. Marcus heads Facebook Messenger and had joined Facebook on invitation of Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook.[10]

History

Facebook launched the iOS and Android versions of Facebook Messenger on August 9, 2011,[11] with an October 11 update making the app available for BlackBerry OS. Facebook launched the Tizen version of Facebook Messenger on July 13, 2015.

In April 2014, Facebook announced that the messaging feature will be removed from the main Facebook app and users will be forced to download Messenger.[12][13]

On March 17, 2015, Facebook added a functionality in which users can send money to their friends. It is currently only available in the United States.[14]

On April 27, 2015, Facebook introduced video calling in the Facebook Messenger app. The functionality was first launched in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.[15]

At the Facebook F8 conference on March 25, 2015, Facebook announced that the Messenger platform is taking first steps to bring businesses on Messenger with the goal of enhancing how people and businesses communicate.[16] Users will be able to sign up to connect with businesses in Messenger, receiving personalized updates. Businesses can use custom layouts designed for order confirmation, shipping updates and more.[17] The service is already available with selected US businesses. With the new update, users can also use Facebook Messenger without a Facebook account and by just signing up using their mobile phone number.[18]

As part of this business feature, Facebook launched Transportation on Messenger in cooperation with Uber. As of January 2016, this service is still in testing and will be available to selected users in the locations where Uber operates in the United States.[19]

In April 2016, Facebook Messenger launched "Group Calling", allowing users to add up to 50 participants simultaneously over the internet. This feature will be available on Android and iOS devices for free and users can start a group VoIP audio call from any group chat. To start a group call, a user needs to just tap the 'phone' icon, select which of the group chat members they want to include or call. All the selected members will receive a Messenger call simultaneously.

On June 16, 2016, Facebook announced at the WIRED Business Conference that Home button will be added to help users keep track of conversations, as an anchor for sending and receiving messages.[20]

On October 4, 2016, Facebook deployed end-to-end encryption as an optional feature for Facebook Messenger users. It is available in an optional mode called "Secret Conversations" and uses the Signal Protocol.[21][22][23][24]

Platforms

Active

In December 2012, the Facebook Messenger app for Android in some regions (such as Australia, South Asia, Indonesia, South Africa, and Venezuela) added the ability to use Messenger without a Facebook account by simply using a name and phone number. These changes are intended to allow Facebook Messenger to compete against similar mobile messaging platforms such as WhatsApp as an alternative to text messaging.[26] Later updates added the ability to use Facebook Messenger as a replacement text messaging client on Android, and added "Chat Heads", an overlay chat system originating from Facebook Home.[27]

Discontinued

Among its features was a "ticker" similar in function to the sidebar of friend activity seen by Facebook website users. At the time of release, "chatting with multiple friends, video calling, limiting chat availability and editing settings" were not available through the software. A Mac OS X version was mentioned by Facebook developers as forthcoming.[35] Messenger for Windows Desktop was discontinued on 3 March 2014.[36]

Bots

Facebook Messenger supports chatbots, and in April 2016 launched a Messenger Platform service which allows developers to create bot accounts that can interact with Facebook users.[38] Bots created at launch include weather services, CNN news, 1-800-Flowers and the interactive fiction adventure Zork.[39]

Pay with Messenger

In June 2015, Facebook Messenger rolled out peer-to-peer payment service across the U.S. which allows users to transfer money with one another within the chat by tapping the dollar icon for free using debit cards.[40][41] Although the service is only available within the U.S. and in U.S. Dollars, Facebook Messenger payment service might soon also roll-out in Europe, as Facebook Payments International Ltd. has been granted an E-Money Institution authorization by the Central Bank of Ireland in October 2016.[42]

n-App Games

As of November 2016 Facebook Messenger unveiled a new initiative called Facebook Instant Games, an HTML5 gaming platform to play games on Messenger and in the Facebook News feed. It introduced us to 17 new in-app instant games such as 'Pac-Man' 'Endless Lake' 'Galaga' 'Arkanoid' and more. In the latest version of the app, you must open a conversation with a friend (or friends through group chats), tap on the game controller icon just below where you type your message, and choose a game to start playing right away. After you finish a round, people in the conversation will see your score and will have the opportunity to challenge you back. The social, fun and competitive, games on Messenger feature score-based leaderboards, in-context chat, and group thread conversations to challenge, celebrate and congratulate.

Reception

In November 2014, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) listed Facebook Messenger (Facebook chat) on its Secure Messaging Scorecard. It received a score of 2 out of 7 points on the scorecard. It received points for having communications encrypted in transit and for having recently completed an independent security audit. It missed points because the communications were not encrypted with keys the provider didn't have access to, users could not verify contacts' identities, past messages were not secure if the encryption keys were stolen, the source code was not open to independent review, and the security design was not properly documented.[43]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Facebook Inc. "Facebook Messenger". Google Play. Google. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  2. ↑ Facebook Inc. "Facebook Messenger". App Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  3. ↑ Facebook Inc. "Facebook Messenger". Windows Store. Microsoft. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Blackberry World - Facebook Messenger". Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  5. ↑ Stenovec, Timothy (August 13, 2014). "The Real Reason Facebook Is Forcing You To Download Messenger". The Hiuffington Post. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  6. ↑ Tsukayama, Hayley (January 17, 2013). "Facebook Messenger app change allows free calls via WiFi". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  7. ↑ Zhang, Lucy (August 12, 2011). "Building Facebook Messenger". Facebook Engineering. Facebook. Retrieved March 3, 2013.
  8. ↑ https://www.cnet.com/news/facebook-lights-up-slow-old-android-phones-with-messenger-lite-app/
  9. ↑ Bakre, Sagar (2016-07-21). "Facebook Messenger now has 1 Billion active monthly users". MobiGyaan.com. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  10. ↑ Hempel, Jessi. "Why Facebook Has Entrusted Its Future to the CEO of PayPal". Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  11. 1 2 3 Zhang, Lucy (August 9, 2011). "A Faster Way to Message on Mobile". The Facebook Blog. Facebook. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Facebook Is Forcing All Users To Download Messenger By Ripping Chat Out Of Its Main Apps". TechCrunch. 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  13. ↑ "No more in-app chat: Facebook moving messages to Messenger". techhive. 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-05-29.
  14. ↑ "Send Money to Friends in Messenger - Facebook Newsroom". Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  15. ↑ "Introducing Video Calling in Messenger - Facebook Newsroom". Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  16. ↑ "Introducing Messenger Platform and Businesses on Messenger - Facebook for Developers". Facebook Developers. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  17. ↑ "Messenger - Business". Facebook. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  18. ↑ "Using Messenger Without A Facebook Account". Feed List. Retrieved 2016-10-01.
  19. ↑ "Introducing Transportation on Messenger | Facebook Newsroom". newsroom.fb.com. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
  20. ↑ Swant, Marty (16 June 2016). "Facebook Messenger Is Adding a Home Button to Help Users Keep Track of Conversations". adweek.com. Adweek. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
  21. ↑ Isaac, Mike (8 July 2016). "Facebook to Add 'Secret Conversations' to Messenger App". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  22. ↑ "Messenger Secret Conversations" (PDF) (Whitepaper). Facebook. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  23. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (8 July 2016). "'Secret Conversations:' End-to-End Encryption Comes to Facebook Messenger". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  24. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (4 October 2016). "You Can All Finally Encrypt Facebook Messenger, So Do It". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  25. ↑ "Facebook Messenger Finally Gets An iPad Version". TechCrunch. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
  26. ↑ Geron, Tomio. "Facebook Messenger Takes On SMS, With No Account Needed". Forbes. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
  27. ↑ "Chat Heads come to Facebook Messenger for Android". The Verge. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  28. ↑ "Facebook Messenger arrives for Windows Phone sans voice features". Engadget. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  29. ↑ "Facebook launches standalone Messenger for web browsers". The Verge. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  30. ↑ "Facebook Launches Messenger for Web Browsers". RE/CODE. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  31. ↑ Constine, Josh (March 5, 2012). "Facebook Messenger For Windows Desktop Chat Client Launches After Leaking". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  32. ↑ Constine, Josh (November 21, 2012). "Facebook Testing Messenger for Windows Ticker+Chat Desktop Client". TechCrunch. AOL. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  33. ↑ אבי ,דוד (December 29, 2011). "בלעדי: Facebook Messenger עבור מערכת ההפעלה Windows להורדה". TechIT (in Hebrew). Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  34. ↑ Warren, Tom (December 29, 2011). "Facebook Messenger for Windows download made official following leak". Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  35. ↑ O'Connor, Jack (March 5, 2012). "Introducing Messenger for Windows". Facebook Newsroom. Facebook. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  36. 1 2 "Facebook Messenger on Windows and Firefox will be no more March 3". TechRadar. Retrieved 5 March 2014.
  37. ↑ "Facebook Messenger for Firefox will Shut Down on March 3". 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  38. ↑ "Messenger Platform - Documentation - Facebook for Developers". Facebook Developers. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  39. ↑ "Here's a list of available Facebook Messenger chatbots". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
  40. ↑ Chowdhry, Amit (30 June 2015). "Facebook Messenger Rolls Out Payment Service Across The U.S.". Forbes.com. Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  41. ↑ "Payments in Messenger | Facebook Help Center | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  42. ↑ Briod, François. "Facebook finally authorized to make money transfers in Europe - Monito's blog". www.monito.com. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  43. ↑ "Secure Messaging Scorecard". Electronic Frontier Foundation. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2016.

External links

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