As has now become known, Facebook has made a change to Facebook Messenger. It can no longer be used without a valid Facebook account.
When Facebook introduced Messenger, non-Facebook users were also given the opportunity to use Messenger. This meant that you could create a profile with your own phone number and a picture without a Facebook account. From now on, this will no longer be possible. This means that anyone who wants to log in to Messenger in the future will have to create a Facebook account first. The company confirmed the change to VentureBeat as follows:
If you're new to Messenger, you'll find that you need a Facebook account to chat with friends and close contacts. We've found that the vast majority of people who use Messenger already log in with Facebook, and we want to simplify the process. If you're already using Messenger without a Facebook account, you don't need to do anything.
Facebook
The change is said to have been made in the name of simplicity. But observers do not believe this. The company has already announced in the past that it will unify WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook Messenger. The latest step could be a preparation for the expected innovation. What this will ultimately look like remains to be seen. Some believe that using WhatsApp will at some point require a Facebook account - but whether this will actually be the case remains to be seen. Incidentally, anyone who logged into Facebook Messenger before the change without a valid Facebook account can continue to use the app as usual - it is not known whether a Facebook account requirement will be imposed retrospectively. (Photo by TeroVesalainen / Bigstockphoto)
