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Mobile Facebook users in some European countries got a little surprise last week as they were notified that in two weeks time they’d no... Facebook Will Soon Force You To Use Facebook Messenger

Mobile Facebook users in some European countries got a little surprise last week as they were notified that in two weeks time they’d no longer simply be able to use Messenger from the mobile Facebook app. Instead, they’d have to have both the Facebook app and the Facebook Messenger app downloaded onto their device. (That’s right – two Facebook apps to do one thing). This undoubtedly annoyed some people, while others probably shrugged their shoulders and decided they’d just roll with the changes.

And this isn’t just a European policy – Facebook assures us that it’s pretty much going to happen everywhere in time. Whenever Facebook makes any kind of a change, it seems like many users become up-in-arms and very vocal about their frustrations. This will probably be no different. Why is Facebook even making this change now?

Facebook Will Soon Force You To Use Facebook MessengerWhile all of the reasons are unknown at this time, perhaps the biggest reason is that they think doing this will make for a better overall Facebook experience. With the native Messenger app done away with, they can include other features, and they also hope it will be faster. As it is now, I sometimes seem to wait forever for my newsfeed to update itself.

While they’ve stated this change will happen virtually everywhere before it’s all said and done, they also noted that there will be a few device exceptions – for instance, Android phones without high memory can still use the “old” app, and Windows Phones will still be able use their native Facebook app.

Except for some European countries, I can’t tell you when this change will roll out in the rest of the world, but I’m sure Facebook will be more than kind enough to let you know.

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[Image via DigitalTrends]

SOURCE: http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/9/5598440/facebook-will-turn-off-messaging-in-its-mobile-app-forcing-you-to-download-messenger