Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
If it happens (I believe it will happens in due time), then the adoption rate will be very minimal. And they will act surprised with the aformentioned minimal adoption rate.
 
How about he just shuts down Facebook, it is past its time and it is a bit daft to try to hold onto some from of relevancy when people have long since moved on. It would be like Microsoft trying to get MSN Messenger or Skype as a default install option.

On the other hand, Apple could maliciously comply by not providing any mechanisms for third party apps to read text messages. Users can set it, but text messages would just go into the void until Facebook pays each phone network for a way to receive the text messages.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5105973 and macsba
I still don’t follow the advantage of being the “default” messaging app? If you prefer Messenger or anything else, hide iMessages in your App Library and only use Messenger? Changing a default email client makes sense because if I click an email address in safari, I want it to compose an email in my default email app. I’m not following the analogous situation in messaging, where my iMessage handle is different than my Messenger handle. What am I missing? Thanks.
 
I still don’t follow the advantage of being the “default” messaging app? If you prefer Messenger or anything else, hide iMessages in your App Library and only use Messenger? Changing a default email client makes sense because if I click an email address in safari, I want it to compose an email in my default email app. I’m not following the analogous situation in messaging, where my iMessage handle is different than my Messenger handle. What am I missing? Thanks.

Facebook wants it as a default so they can read your text messages, for their customers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macsba
I'm all for freedom of choice: So add Maps, Photos, Calendar, and Messages.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5105973
I certainly understand the reaction to it, but I hope people are realizing how messy messages and iMessage are from an anti-completive standpoint.

Right now, even if you leave the platform and turn off iMessage, your group messages don't function and you have to create new ones. If you choose not to use iMessage, you're stuck with a terrible looking green color without any option to change it. You also loose out on many features (send photos in full res (or even a resonable resolution), videos, and do video calls, etc.)

I personally don't like FB Messenger much, but I'm sure there's many out there that prefer it. Same as WhatsApp, Signal, and I even use Telegram for some friends as it's cross-platform (and you can edit messages).

Biggest thing is messages isn't cross platform, and that's really messy and will likely get Apple in trouble at some point.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5105973
Maybe, if Facebook can satisfactorily prove that apps like Messenger is completely end-to-end encrypted and no data ever gets to Facebook's grasping hands. It's 2020 and Messenger/FB still isn't encrypted, shows how much priority FB puts on that...
 
Facebook wants it as a default so they can read your text messages, for their customers.

So they want to give users the option to let FB Messenger (instead of Apple Messages) handle SMS messages? I follow. I wouldn’t go for it personally, but I get why FB would push for it. Thanks for explaining.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rajani Isa
Apple opening their platform seems fine. I'm all for allowing other default apps in this space. The only thing I'd ask is that it be explicit what messaging service is being used when messages are sent. That way someone can see "Oh, this is going through Signal" or WhatsApp or Discord and gauge their comfort levels easily. There are things I put on Signal that would NEVER go through a FB owned service.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5105973
Can Facebook messenger send SMS texts? If I receive an SMS and try to reply it would open Messenger, with all my texts?
 
  • Like
Reactions: otternonsense
This makes no sense, and Facebook is being deliberately obtuse here. Mail clients are interchangeable - a mailto: link, for example, does the same thing no matter where I use it. Same for web links.

"Chat" or "messaging" apps are far from standard. The only way that Facebook can be trying to interpret this is that when you want to send SMS, instead of using iMessage (for your contacts that are on iMessage), it uses Messenger instead. So, it's not just that they want to be the "default app" - it would need to replace functionality within Messages to work.

It's not like an incoming message "picks" which service to respond on - these are built into the App. Facebook can just as easily say "why won't WeChat allow Messenger for replies". It's because every single corporate behemoths has a closed gardens when it comes to messaging. There were so many options to use an open standard - but nobody took those on.

Yah, never going to happen without government interference - and definitely not something anybody with privacy in mind is going to want either.
 
Facebook - The company that has been a menace to the society. just like Twitter. Facebook and Twitter has created many "Keyboard warriors" than any other application. The amount of time people waste on these apps is amazing with ZERO to negative returns. Some might argue it makes them happy looking at other people's pictures and love to trash authorities. These 2 apps are going to be the downfall of human kind. It will start here. I was addicted too. 2 years back I decided to give myself a gift of time - DELETED FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and WHATSAPP. Life could not be better.

Give it a try.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kenny2 and 5105973
While I would personally not choose to, choices are a good thing... at the same token, it should be more than FB messenger but I don’t really know what’s out there, and don’t really care
 
When does it matter what messaging app is default?
I usually just open the messaging app I need at the time based on the platform I need to use to reach whomever I need to send a message to.
It's not like e-mail or webpages were I use links from another app to send mail or open a webpage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5105973
If people are stupid enough to even want the Facebook App on their iPhones, then go ahead and let them do this. It's a mystery to me why people keep supporting this evil platform.
 
Facebook is HUNGRY for more people to rely on their services. They've lost a lot of users with privacy issues and pushing a clearly-left leaning agenda on their service.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.