If you’ve always wanted to take advantage of the Facebook Messenger app for Android but never wanted to go all-in and create a Facebook account to do so, then you’ll like this next bit of news. The Facebook Messenger for Android app has been updated, ditching the requirement of a Facebook account for registration. Now, all you need to supply is your name and phone number.
That certainly isn’t bad, and it should give Facebook Messenger an influx of new users. Of course, with more than 1 billion people using Facebook across the world, it isn’t as if the company is necessarily hurting for users, but there are still plenty of people who don’t feel comfortable handing over all of that personal information. As our friends at SlashGear point out, this also helps Facebook directly compete in the SMS space, sidestepping carrier fees for text messaging.
Watered down registration requirements aren’t all this Facebook Messenger update brings to the table. Now the app also allows for group conversation as well as photo sharing, so those who are already using Facebook Messenger are getting some bonuses too. While the update sounds great, there’s just one small problem in that it isn’t going live in all regions right away.
Instead, this update will be going live in India, Australia, South Africa, Indonesia, and Venezuela today, with other regions apparently getting it shortly. We don’t have an exact time frame for release yet, with Facebook only saying that it should be going live in other countries in the next few weeks. We’ll be keeping a eye out for a release announcement, so be sure to watch Android Community for more information!
