2015 was a good year for Facebook Messenger.
In a post on Facebook Newsroom, David Marcus (Facebook’s VP of Messaging Products) announced that Messenger has surpassed 800 million monthly users.
This is a major milestone, and it comes on the heels of many additions to Messenger. Facebook is clearly making the messaging app a priority.
via Facebook Messenger
Facebook Messenger was released in 2011. However, it wasn’t until April 2014, two months after Facebook bought the messaging app WhatsApp, that Messenger really took off.
It was in April that Facebook announced it would be removing the messaging feature from the Facebook mobile app. If mobile users wanted to message their friends, they’d need to download the separate Messenger app.
There was some grumbling, but in retrospect Facebook’s move seems to have been a success. Many of Facebook’s users chose to download Messenger, and Facebook has been able to expand on Messenger as a separate app.
2015 saw many additions to Messenger. One of the biggest new functions is the ability to send money, which Facebook added in March of 2015. At the moment this feature is only available in the United States, but it seems likely that Facebook will roll it out internationally soon.
Messenger also added a new range of expression apps, with everything from pictures, to gifs, to sounds that can all be added to a conversation. In April, Facebook introduced video calling to Messenger, making it a competitor to Skype and FaceTime. Other additions include photo sharing, Uber requests, and message customization.
via The Facebook Newsroom
The updates seem likely to keep coming.
In his post, David Marcus wrote, “We believe we have so much more opportunity ahead of us, and these are still the early days of Messenger.”
One new project he mentioned is M, a digital virtual assistant. There are also rumors that Facebook is creating a Messenger desktop app for Macs. We anticipate hearing more about these and other updates in the near future.
Facebook wants to make Messenger the go-to place for all things social, and so far 800 million users seem to be happy with their efforts.
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Written by content manager Meghan Woolley
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