Messenger has 700 million monthly users, but big old Facebook isn’t satisfied with this number. As a means to further bolster this figure, the social networking giant is implementing a new strategy and has now announced that users will no more need to have a Facebook account to use Messenger.
Apparently, Facebook has deduced that people chat more than they view social networks or News Feed. Facebook tested accountless signups for Messenger on Android in India and three other countries in 2012. The tests were later ceased though, apparently because the team couldn’t find a proper direction to commence.
With this move, Facebook intends to those users who don’t have or don’t use their Facebook account but want to get in touch with their friends and colleagues using its proprietary messaging service.
Now the Messenger app will allow you to sign up without a Facebook account, just asking you for basic details like your first name, last name, and phone number, if you choose the new “Not On Facebook?” button in the start-screen, that is. The app has been released today in the US, Canada, Peru, and Venezuela and will soon be out in other parts of the world.
Furthermore, the app will allow people to upload their phone contacts which will then be matched against Messenger users who’ve registered with those phone numbers to build a no-account user’s social graph. You can even keep in touch with your friends who are on Facebook but haven’t provided the site with their phone number.
In the increasing competition of chat apps today, it’s just a matter of time until we know if Facebook’s new schemes in increasing its chat users will pay off. Although we do believe that this new feature is an excellent addition to the already helpful Messenger app.
