Facebook Turns Messenger Into a Platform, Allows Third-Party iOS App Integration

[MasterRyu2011]

...that hasn't installed that on my phone????

I haven't either. I don't want to use anything owned by Facebook --- well except maybe the Oculus Rift

 

[jebjeb2000]

To all the people who rely on Web version for messengers......

You do realize there is a huge chance that they might axe the Mobile web version of messeges in order to force people to use the Messanger app. Rumors are from my sources, they may do that this year.

That just means people will have to rely on rusty old text messages to contact me, then.

 

[AlecZ]

iMessage is sucky? By saying that I assume you don't value privacy? I'm not a big fan of Facebook or their respective services, but what I believe really caused a riot was that they split a core functionality of the original app in order to simply make people use two separate apps. Facebook Messenger on its own is probably not a bad messaging platform, but the outrage most likely stems from how it was created and the company behind it.

Telegram is excellent for cross-platform, and unlike Facebook, it doesn't mine your data.

Luckily though, for those rare occasions when you need to use Facebook, the mobile site is actually perfectly adequate.

iMessage is sucky because it's unreliable and not cross-platform. I don't know what data they collect. No, I don't care about whether Facebook logs who I send a message to, and nobody should unless they're dealing with secret corporate info or something, in which case they should use something encrypted (i.e. not iMessage or Google either). I don't know what their privacy policy says about what they share.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

If any app on my phone informs me that I have to have Facebook Messenger I will automatically, unquestioningly, and immediately delete that app.

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iMessage is sucky because it's unreliable and not cross-platform. I don't know what data they collect. No, I don't care about whether Facebook logs who I send a message to, and nobody should unless they're dealing with secret corporate info or something, in which case they should use something encrypted (i.e. not iMessage or Google either). I don't know what their privacy policy says about what they share.

Ummmmmm, what if you as a user have no desire to use Facebook? iMessage isn't cross platform, but SMS sure is.

 

[Imory]

iMessage is sucky because it's unreliable and not cross-platform. I don't know what data they collect. No, I don't care about whether Facebook logs who I send a message to, and nobody should unless they're dealing with secret corporate info or something, in which case they should use something encrypted (i.e. not iMessage or Google either). I don't know what their privacy policy says about what they share.

Feel free to mention examples of how iMessage is unreliable in comparison to other messaging platforms.

Is that so? Isn't that the epitome of arrogance. You might not care or value privacy, and by that you think no one should? Let's not play that card. iMessage is encrypted and despite the fact that it isn't advertised as the most secure platform, it is miles better in that regard compared to Facebook. Apple doesn't mine data and their business model isn't advertising (iAds is a different matter).

 

[AlecZ]

Ummmmmm, what if you as a user have no desire to use Facebook? iMessage isn't cross platform, but SMS sure is.

You don't need to use all of Facebook to use their messaging system. For years, I had an account and didn't even visit the website except to add people as friends. Now I only visit it for the groups I'm in.

 

[Tech198]

wow... what a mess...

Now it looks like Android...

Kitties

 

[jdawgnoonan]

You don't need to use all of Facebook to use their messaging system. For years, I had an account and didn't even visit the website except to add people as friends. Now I only visit it for the groups I'm in.

Yeah, they can stick Messenger up their data mining (self-censored) regardless. And you do need a Facebook account to use Messenger.

 

[Tech198]

There goes a clean interface ....Was fun while it lasted.

 

[AlecZ]

Feel free to mention examples of how iMessage is unreliable in comparison to other messaging platforms.

Is that so? Isn't that the epitome of arrogance. You might not care or value privacy, and by that you think no one should? Let's not play that card. iMessage is encrypted and despite the fact that it isn't advertised as the most secure platform, it is miles better in that regard compared to Facebook. Apple doesn't mine data and their business model isn't advertising (iAds is a different matter).

Yes, I think almost nobody should care. People have innocent chats over it that nobody but the people involved would care about. My friends send messages like "when do you want to eat lunch lol" and "did you do the cs homework." It's nothing but a matter of pride if anyone cares about securing that stuff against Facebook. It doesn't hurt you in any way that they keep track of who you message the most or even if they somehow parse what you say and use that (which I doubt they do).

Apple can read your iMessage messages, even if they're encrypted from client to server. There are systems that encrypt them from client to client that are really what you need to use if you are sending confidential info. I say it's unreliable because my family, friends, and I occasionally cannot send messages over it for no apparent reason, and they've had major outages in the past. It used to be extremely unreliable, and it's gotten much better but still isn't there yet.

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Yeah, they can stick Messenger up their data mining asses regardless. And you do need a Facebook account to use Messenger.

Maybe you can get away with it where you are, but if I said that every time someone was trying to contact me over Facebook, people would think I'm antisocial. It's not worth it.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

Yes, I think almost nobody should care. People have innocent chats over it that nobody but the people involved would care about. My friends send messages like "when do you want to eat lunch lol" and "did you do the cs homework." It's nothing but a matter of pride if anyone cares about securing that stuff against Facebook. It doesn't hurt you in any way that they keep track of who you message the most or even if they somehow parse what you say and use that (which I doubt they do).

Apple can read your iMessage messages, even if they're encrypted from client to server. There are systems that encrypt them from client to client that are really what you need to use if you are sending confidential info.

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Maybe you can get away with it where you are, but if I said that every time someone was trying to contact me over Facebook, people would think I'm antisocial. It's not worth it.

Facebook specifically pays for the service by selling your data. Apple does not, and Apple promise the users that they do not sell the data that they have. It would be 100% in line with the business model of FaceBook to sell the information regarding what you had for lunch or how much you drink to your insurance company. Selling your data is their business model. It might be innocent enough, but if someone chooses to not be a part of it that is their choice. Users should understand what keeps Facebook running: Your data.

 

[AlecZ]

Facebook specifically pays for the service by selling your data. Apple does not, and Apple promise the users that they do not sell the data that they have. It would be 100% in line with the business model of FaceBook to sell the information regarding what you had for lunch or how much you drink to your insurance company. Selling your data is their business model. It is innocent enough, but if someone chooses to not be a part of it that is their choice.

Their business model seems to be ad targeting. I've never heard of cases where they collect data on what people eat and sell that to an insurance company, and their privacy policy doesn't suggest anywhere that they actually use the content of your messages.

Anyone can go ahead and not use it, but they'd better at least use iMessage or else they'll be a nuisance by using SMS.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

Their business model seems to be ad targeting. I've never heard of cases where they collect data on what people eat and sell that to an insurance company, and their privacy policy doesn't suggest anywhere that they actually use the content of your messages.

Anyone can go ahead and not use it, but they'd better at least use iMessage or else they'll be a nuisance by using SMS.

Some of us say "Please use SMS." I pay for it and I prefer it. If I am a nuisance then go away and don't send messages to me. What do you think they use to target ads at you? Their terms of service let them do anything that they want to do with your data.

 

[C DM]

If any app on my phone informs me that I have to have Facebook Messenger I will automatically, unquestioningly, and immediately delete that app.

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Ummmmmm, what if you as a user have no desire to use Facebook? iMessage isn't cross platform, but SMS sure is.

SMS sure isn't when you are trying to contact someone who doesn't use a cellular device, or doesn't have a cellular connection at certain times, or is located internationally where one party or both parties would have to pay fairly crazy unnecessary fees just to send messages back and forth.

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Some of us say "Please use SMS." I pay for it and I prefer it. If I am a nuisance then go away and don't send messages to me. What do you think they use to target ads at you? Their terms of service let them do anything that they want to do with your data.

Just like majority of any other services, especially online free ones, that people use and have been using throughout their lives.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

SMS sure isn't when you are trying to contact someone who doesn't use a cellular device, or doesn't have a cellular connection at certain times, or is located internationally where one party or both parties would have to pay fairly crazy unnecessary fees just to send messages back and forth.

All I am saying is that I don't need some phone app requiring me to use FaceBook messenger. For those who use it then I guess that it is great. But a lot of people want no part of it.

I have lived overseas and I had workarounds to send messages to people that I wanted to message, and so I get that that need is real. But I think that developers will make a mistake if they suddenly assume that everyone uses (or is willing to use) FaceBook messenger.

 

[C DM]

All I am saying is that I don't need some phone app requiring me to use FaceBook messenger. For those who use it then I guess that it is great. But a lot of people want no part of it.

I have lived overseas and when I did I had workarounds to send messages to people that I wanted to message, and so I get that that need is real. But I think that developers will make a mistake if they suddenly assume that everyone uses (or is willing to use) FaceBook messenger.

What phone app is (or will be) requiring you to use Facebook Messenger again?

 

[Imory]

Yes, I think almost nobody should care. People have innocent chats over it that nobody but the people involved would care about. My friends send messages like "when do you want to eat lunch lol" and "did you do the cs homework." It's nothing but a matter of pride if anyone cares about securing that stuff against Facebook. It doesn't hurt you in any way that they keep track of who you message the most or even if they somehow parse what you say and use that (which I doubt they do).

Apple can read your iMessage messages, even if they're encrypted from client to server. There are systems that encrypt them from client to client that are really what you need to use if you are sending confidential info. I say it's unreliable because my family, friends, and I occasionally cannot send messages over it for no apparent reason, and they've had major outages in the past. It used to be extremely unreliable, and it's gotten much better but still isn't there yet.

It has nothing to do with pride and if you feel comfortable with the fact that everything you write is mined and might be used for whatever future use, then that's your choice. Conversations in general never revolve around something as trivial as where to eat lunch. It might for you, but I hardly expect that is something applicable to others.

It does hurt me, since it's sensitive information at the disposal of a company that can be misused (given their history). Not to mention the whole NSA controversy (yes, several if not all major tech companies were involved), which I quite frankly don't really feel I have to elaborate on.

To be completely honest though, I could mention countless examples why I find online privacy to be absolutely crucial, but that isn't really related to our discussion. Facebook is a business and as a customer you have a choice of choosing wether you'd like to use their products or not. Services like these are never free and because of that people should know what they give up.

As far as I and the general public knows, Apple doesn't have a key and therefore can't read or intercept anything?

Here's the thing though, while you and your family have had problems, there are those who haven't had any problems. I'm afraid that argument doesn't really hold any ground here.

Maybe you can get away with it where you are, but if I said that every time someone was trying to contact me over Facebook, people would think I'm antisocial. It's not worth it.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if that's the attitude at Berkeley or any other place, then I find it to be genuinely sad. Surely the people that matters have your number? And I can't imagine a professional environment/workplace would ever require you to have a Facebook account.

 

[nazaar]

I'm still saying no to this app. FB you're not going to force to do use something I don't want to use.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

It has nothing to do with pride and if you feel comfortable with the fact that everything you write is mined and might be used for whatever future use, then that's your choice. Conversations in general never revolve around something as trivial as where to eat lunch. It might for you, but I hardly expect that is something applicable to others.

It does hurt me, since it's sensitive information at the disposal of a company that can be misused (given their history). Not to mention the whole NSA controversy (yes, several if not all major tech companies were involved), which I quite frankly don't really feel I have to elaborate on.

To be completely honest though, I could mention countless examples why I find online privacy to be absolutely crucial, but that isn't really related to our discussion. Facebook is a business and as a customer you have a choice of choosing wether you'd like to use their products or not. Services like these are never free and because of that people should know what they give up.

As far as I and the general public knows, Apple doesn't have a key and therefore can't read or intercept anything?

Here's the thing though, while you and your family have had problems, there are those who haven't had any problems. I'm afraid that argument doesn't really hold any ground here.



I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if that's the attitude at Berkeley or any other place, then I find it to be genuinely sad. Surely the people that matters have your number? And I can't imagine a professional environment/workplace would ever require you to have a Facebook account.

It is pretty sad if this mentality is prevalent at Berkely or any other highly respected institution where the next generation of IT leaders might be.

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What phone app is (or will be) requiring you to use Facebook Messenger again?

I do not want any app to tie into FaceBook for anything. I will not use any integration with Facebook feature. If an app tries to require that then the app is gone.

 

[AlecZ]

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but if that's the attitude at Berkeley or any other place, then I find it to be genuinely sad. Surely the people that matters have your number? And I can't imagine a professional environment/workplace would ever require you to have a Facebook account.

My friends have my number but mostly use Facebook chat because it's cross-platform. It would be a hassle for THEM to have to cater to me specially by using some other chat service. Some of them don't have iPhones or don't have iMessage set up on their Macs. Many people know me but don't know my phone number and make first contact with me over Facebook. I would estimate that I receive 3/4 of all messages from friends through Facebook chat. It's not a professional workplace, but I'd imagine whatever company you work for force everyone to be reachable through the same service, whatever that is.

If I refused to use Facebook on the grounds that I am way more concerned (to put it politely) about my security than anyone I've ever known IRL, it would create more work for other people to communicate with me. On top of that, event invites are often through Facebook, so people would have to keep me informed some other way. I'd be a burden in a way. Yes, they would be frustrated with me for that.

Right now, I do the opposite so I can get into contact easily. If you want to contact me, I've got phone, SMS, AIM, FaceTime, iMessage, Facebook chat, Google chat, Google Hangouts, Steam, my own Jabber server, Snapchat, like 10 email accounts, and even that piece of junk Kakao Talk.

 

[nad8e]

As soon as Facebook forced you to download Messenger, I deleted the app from my phone. I use the web version and the overall site much less now.

Ditto. Foolish move by facebook. I use it maybe 25% as much as I use to.

The "facebook messenger" concept is the wrong direction regarding pple's seamless integration ideology.

We are suppose to be moving away from non-standardized communications methods.

pple has the capability for allowing facebook messaging within iMessage. It's so simple for them to turn it on with one quick update. I already have facebook friends in my iPhone contacts list. Natural next step is to iMessage them via their facebook "number" rather than their +x-xxx-xxx-xxxx number.

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Ditto. Foolish move by facebook. I use it maybe 25% as much as I use to.

The "facebook messenger" concept is the wrong direction regarding pple's seamless integration ideology.

We are suppose to be moving away from non-standardized communications methods.

pple has the capability for allowing facebook messaging within iMessage. It's so simple for them to turn it on with one quick update. I already have facebook friends in my iPhone contacts list. Natural next step is to iMessage them via their facebook "number" rather than their +x-xxx-xxx-xxxx number.

Which makes me wonder if I can register my Google phone number with Apple so I can iMessage using it? Never tried...

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I do not want any app to tie into FaceBook for anything. I will not use any integration with Facebook feature. If an app tries to require that then the app is gone.

Same for me. But right now, how else can I receive the joy from swiping left?

 

[C DM]

It is pretty sad if this mentality is prevalent at Berkely or any other highly respected institution where the next generation of IT leaders might be.

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I do not want any app to tie into FaceBook for anything. I will not use any integration with Facebook feature. If an app tries to require that then the app is gone.

What app is (or will be) requiring anything like that as far as what the article under discussion is talking about?

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I'm still saying no to this app. FB you're not going to force to do use something I don't want to use.

Who is forcing anything, especially if you don't want to use it to begin with?

 

[nad8e]

Plenty of things have come after Facebook.

Facebook just celebrated its 11th birthday.

If you're asking what will replace Facebook... that's the billion dollar question. No one has been able to do it yet.

Google could have, if they hadn't totally thrown user privacy out the window with G+.

I question if pple already has the capability, if they choose to finally implement it. Between iMessage, Photostream, Pay, Apps, etc... The only thing really missing from iOS is a status update, which could easily be thrown into the exiting "iCloud Photo Sharing: Activity" area, along with pulling "Activity" out of Photos into a separate app. iTivity? AppleTivity? AppleSpace? Perhars just a new service called "iCloud Sharing", which will allow you to share just text "status" type message and any content from any app in iOS.

 

[ipedro]

So many of you have no problem using a separate app like WhatsApp or iMessage to communicate with your friends. Yet, Facebook Messenger does the exact same thing and people go all batshiz crazy about it.

 

[Altis]

All the apps shown in the OP screenshot look like they would cause your friends to remove you or mute your feed.

Facebook isn't really what it used to be. Removing "Messages" from the Facebook app doesn't benefit the end user. You should be able to choose to send the odd message in the FB app or install Messenger for more features.

Alas, as Facebook declared themselves: if they left Messages/Chat in the FB app, then people wouldn't use the Messenger app. What does that really tell you?