Facebook Launches New Messenger Desktop App

Facebook is today launching a new app for Facebook Messenger. The company has been working on the new desktop app for a while, and it’s now releasing the new app to the public at a time where demand for video calling apps is rapidly increasing.

Facebook said the company has seen more than a 100% increased in people using their desktop browser to make calls on Messenger over the past month. With its new Messenger app, Facebook wants to make it easier to make calls on the platform.

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In terms of the experience, Messenger doesn’t provide any massive differences than the web app. The new desktop app, which is available on Windows and Mac, works almost exactly like the web app. It has a dark mode as well and supports notifications.

The new app will obviously make it easier to make calls on Messenger for desktop users, but it still has a major limitation. Right now, you can’t use Messenger to share your screen which may be a problem for some. Either way, you can get the new Messenger app from the Mac App Store here, and the Microsoft Store here. 

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Conversation 16 comments

  • red77star

    02 April, 2020 - 3:30 pm

    <p>Only if I had facebook account. I use Signal, encrypted end to end and it works well.</p>

  • dab2kab

    02 April, 2020 - 3:41 pm

    <p>lol. they had a desktop app years ago and ended support for it. Now they have the genius idea of having a desktop app…and you can only use it with windows 10, not older versions. What a joke.</p>

    • codymesh

      02 April, 2020 - 8:56 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#536132">In reply to dab2kab:</a></em></blockquote><p>Windows 7 is out of support, it's time to let it go. And Windows 8 users really should be upgrading to 10</p>

      • roger

        03 April, 2020 - 1:10 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#536206">In reply to codymesh:</a></em></blockquote><p>Windows 8.1 is supported until 2023 and the only way to keep windows Media center. No thanks to upgrading.</p>

        • codymesh

          03 April, 2020 - 5:20 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#536227">In reply to roger:</a></em></blockquote><p>probably a good idea to move off windows media center too, that thing hasn't seen any attention from Microsoft itself in over a decade</p>

          • roger

            03 April, 2020 - 4:05 pm

            <blockquote><em><a href="#536246">In reply to codymesh:</a></em></blockquote><p>But it's just as capable as it was 10 years ago. And it was ahead of it's time back then, so it's still equivalent or better than most DVRs out there today. But in a few years atsc 3.0 will come along and make it useless for good. I've looked into alternatives for the future but nothing out there has been good enough to make me pull the trigger yet, especially given I already own all the equipment and software.</p>

      • ghostrider

        03 April, 2020 - 6:15 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#536206">In reply to codymesh:</a></em></blockquote><p>Depends if you consider 10 an upgrade!</p>

  • mahoekst

    02 April, 2020 - 5:05 pm

    <p>Isn't the biggest short coming it doesn't support multi-party video? or did I miss that feature somewhere?</p>

  • waethorn

    02 April, 2020 - 6:34 pm

    <p>So, another Windows app for what? Maybe 6 months before they pull it again?</p>

    • BigM72

      03 April, 2020 - 3:26 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#536162">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>It's x-platform not Windows specific so no platform-specific reasons to pull it.</p>

      • waethorn

        03 April, 2020 - 10:05 am

        <blockquote><em><a href="#536239">In reply to BigM72:</a></em></blockquote><p>Well they pulled previous HTML versions of the main Facebag app from Windows, how many times now?</p>

        • robincapper

          12 April, 2020 - 3:33 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#536328">In reply to Waethorn:</a></em></blockquote><p>To be fair, that app was terrible. Have Credge installed Facebook as app and is much better but doesn't participate in Windows Share like an app</p>

  • simard57

    02 April, 2020 - 7:11 pm

    <p>store shows an app and a beta — just like last week. where is this "new" app installed from?</p><p><br></p>

  • hansolo

    03 April, 2020 - 2:35 am

    <p>Still no news about Xbox app ditching electron and moving to UWP? strange because for Skype ditching "uwp" you rushed to write the news</p>

  • Maciek

    Premium Member
    03 April, 2020 - 9:19 am

    <p>FYI: this is just for USA. Most of the world has enjoyed this app already for a few weeks.</p>

  • russclarke

    03 April, 2020 - 12:35 pm

    <p>Just opened the app (which automatically updated), looks nice, but wonder what in and how it's coded as it doesn't appear to honour windows snap via keyboard shortcuts or by dragging, which seems a little odd. Any ideas Paul?</p>

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