Facebook Messenger is Coming to Windows, Mac

Facebook announced a major overhaul of its Messenger service that focuses on privacy and speed. And it’s coming to Windows and Mac, too.

“2019 will be a transition year for Messenger, and for messaging as we proceed to build an app that realizes a privacy-focused vision for social networking,” Facebook director Asha Sharma explains. “The idea being, that if we were to start to build a social network today, we’d start with messaging first.”

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Code-named Project LightSpeed, the all-new Facebook Messenger is designed to launch in under 2 seconds and take up less than 30 MB of storage space on any device. That’s 70 MB lighter than the smallest Messenger version today, Facebook says.

The new Messenger will also feature a new user interface that lets you connect quickly with the friends and family you message most. It will also feature new video tools, since this is so popular on the platform: Over 410 million people connect over video chat on Messenger each month, Facebook notes, and its users spend 2 billion minutes every day on Facebook’s various video offerings. One new feature, co-watching, will help people watch videos together remotely. And another will let them easily share videos.

Facebook also revealed that it is now testing a desktop Messenger app for both Windows and Mac.

“People want to seamlessly message from any device, and sometimes they just want a little more space to share and connect with the people they care about most,” Sharma says. “You can download Messenger Desktop — and enjoy the same features as the app on your phone — like group video calls, collaborate on projects or multi-task while chatting in Messenger. We are testing this now and will roll it out globally later this year.”

Finally, Facebook will make all communications in Messenger end-to-end encrypted by default.

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Conversation 15 comments

  • gregsedwards

    Premium Member
    30 April, 2019 - 3:26 pm

    <p>So, they're making Skype, then?</p>

  • Thomas Parkison

    30 April, 2019 - 3:27 pm

    <p>The words "privacy" and "Facebook" should never be used in the same sentence.</p>

    • Paul Tarnowski

      01 May, 2019 - 8:42 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#424462">In reply to trparky:</a></em></blockquote><p>Nah, they can go together, you just have to remember what else was trendy back when Facebook was trendy: saying things ironically.</p><p><br></p><p>I'm assuming Paul thinks that's still on-trend as well.</p>

  • AlexKven

    30 April, 2019 - 3:38 pm

    <p>It's already on Windows. </p>

    • coeus89

      30 April, 2019 - 3:50 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#424465">In reply to AlexKven:</a></em></blockquote><p>I hope they are updating the ones already on windows.</p>

      • wolters

        Premium Member
        30 April, 2019 - 5:00 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#424480">In reply to coeus89:</a></em></blockquote><p>Yes…that one was just an iOS port…back when they were also trying to convert Android Apps to Windows Phone with Project Astoria. </p>

        • IanYates82

          Premium Member
          30 April, 2019 - 11:26 pm

          <blockquote><em><a href="#424509">In reply to wolters:</a></em></blockquote><p>Someone actually used the iOS porting tools! I was wondering what happened to them. I recall thinking it was impressive work from Microsoft to have an Obj-C compiler and implement the code for the GUI stock, etc. Then a few weeks later Apple released Swift and it became the hot new thing. Did Microsoft's iOS porting tools ever catch up and support Swift?</p>

  • bluvg

    30 April, 2019 - 3:45 pm

    <p>Threaded convos would be nice. Skype smileys/emoji are light years beyond everyone else's, though. Messenger's are terrible… most are inscrutable or just unusable.</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    30 April, 2019 - 3:49 pm

    <p>Will this be a new native app or some kind of slow Electron monstrosity?</p><p><br></p><p>I’d love to see native code running but know it’s not likely.</p>

  • karlinhigh

    Premium Member
    30 April, 2019 - 4:20 pm

    <p>Is this the Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp merge yet?</p>

  • SvenJ

    30 April, 2019 - 4:29 pm

    <p>Good, there can't be too many incompatible chat/collaboration apps. </p>

    • captobie

      01 May, 2019 - 9:42 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#424491">In reply to SvenJ:</a></em></blockquote><p>The beauty of Facebook Messenger is that it’s as close to a universal messaging service as there is. Nearly everyone I know has Messenger, and I don’t need to know their phone number or email address. Honestly, it’s like the only good thing Facebook has going for it anymore.</p>

  • VancouverNinja

    Premium Member
    30 April, 2019 - 6:25 pm

    <p>Getting ready for Andromeda….</p>

  • skane2600

    30 April, 2019 - 7:52 pm

    <p>I rarely use Messenger on purpose but sometimes regular posts by other people morph into Messenger mode. </p>

  • chrishilton1

    Premium Member
    01 May, 2019 - 1:43 am

    <p>Hmmm… did anyone catch the film Unfriended: the dark web???</p>

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