Over the next two years, Facebook seemed to largely ignore the app.

A year later, an early tester of a Facebook Messenger For Windows app leaked the download link, leading Facebook to hastily give the desktop app an official launch.

Way back in 2011, Facebook began posting job openings for desktop software engineers to work on PC and Mac apps. Invading The Desktopįacebook was spawned on the web, and openly experiments on mobile, but has never put much focus on the desktop. After all, Facebook already separated messaging from the News Feed on mobile. But that’s a sacrifice Facebook seems willing to make to boost its chances of winning the war to control chat. Increasing the number of people who are instantly available through Facebook Messenger makes the app more valuable for everyone regardless of what device they access is through.ĭetaching Messenger from Facebook could potentially make it easier for people to avoid Facebook’s ads.

The more people that chat on Facebook, the more they get locked into the company’s family of apps and features, including Facebook’s News Feed where it earns money on ads. Facebook declined to provide a statement or confirmation, telling me “We don’t comment on rumor or speculation.” However, that’s the same boiler plate response I’ve received from Facebook when my sources were correct in the past, like about Facebook having built a secret Chat SDK that lets developers create chat bots.

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