You've heard of shotgun weddings? Well, Facebook is imposing a shotgun upgrade on everyone who uses its mobile apps. But the company swears you'll live happier ever after.
Within the next couple of weeks, the world's largest social network will begin removing the instant messaging feature from its smartphone apps, which are used by hundreds of millions of people. Anyone who wants to continue sending or receiving messages from a mobile device will have to install the company's separate Messenger app.
The first places forced to make the switch are Britain, France and the Scandinavian countries. But the rest of the world, including the United States, will eventually follow. (Anyone can make the switch now by downloading the Messenger app from the Apple or Android app stores.)
The company says the two-app requirement, which was first reported by TechCrunch last week, will actually improve the Facebook experience on mobile phones.
The two apps work closely together. Click on the messaging icon in Facebook's regular app and the Messenger app automatically loads on both Android and iPhone versions. (Switching back is less intuitive, especially on Android, which requires repeated use of the back button.)
The Messenger app, which has been available as a standalone option since November, is faster and more streamlined than the aging software that handles messages in the main Facebook app, and it can be more easily customized, the company says.
'We deliver the messages to you a lot more than quickly before. As your friends get on Messenger, they actually respond 20 percent faster than they did before,' said Peter Martinazzi, the product manager for Facebook Messenger, in an interview.
The new Messenger will also include features that are in competing messaging apps, including WhatsApp, which Facebook agreed to buy last month for more than $16 billion.
Users can opt to give Facebook access to all of the numbers in their cellphone's phone list and then send messages to anyone on that list who has a Facebook account. Users will also get the ability to set up groups of contacts for a particular topic, such as a camping trip or a wedding.
The next version of the Messenger app will also introduce the ability to send quick photo and voice messages and more emotive 'stickers,' the funny images that people used to compactly express particular thoughts. 'If you're not feeling so well, it might be easier to send this smiley of someone vomiting,' said Mr. Martinazzi.
The main Facebook app will eventually benefit from the split as well, he said, becoming better at delivering your news feed and handling status updates. 'People we've worked with are really excited about it and enjoyed it,' he said.
Still, Facebook acknowledges that the involuntary switch will be a shock to many people, especially those who rarely use the message feature or have low-end phones that struggle with every new app loaded.
'We're always going to upgrade and enhance experiences,' said Derick Mains, a company spokesman. 'The only thing that is different is how we're doing it.'
Mr. Mains rejected the idea that the forced migration was happening because Facebook wanted to goose its standings on the top-10 charts for messaging apps, noting that Messenger has been at or near the top of the standings since its November launch.
Facebook certainly isn't the first tech giant to force customers to upgrade or else. Last week, Microsoft stopped updating Windows XP, forcing users to upgrade their software or risk security breaches. Intuit is legendary for blocking certain online functions in its Quicken and QuickBooks accounting products after three years, forcing users to buy the latest version.
But Facebook's approach to this transition reflects some of its traditional 'we know best' attitude.
Customers are getting as little as two weeks' warning about the change before messaging will simply stop working in the main app.
Facebook is also disregarding customers' previous decisions about privacy. By default, Facebook will automatically attach your current location to every message that you send with the new Messenger. It doesn't matter if you turned that feature off in the current Facebook app or if you never, ever use the location features on the service. Facebook's long-term business model depends on delivering increasingly accurate mobile advertising, and for that, it needs you to disclose where you are.
The company will warn you that it's sharing your location the first time you send a message. But how many people will just agree without reading the warning, just as they do when they accept the terms of service of any new app?
The company will also turn on its controversial 'chat heads' feature by default. These floating pictures, each representing a messaging conversation, will follow you around all over your Android phone, even if you leave the app. New users are likely to be baffled and will have to dig into Messenger's settings to turn them off.
'We think chat heads are a better experience for most people,' Mr. Martinazzi said. (At least iPhone users will now have the ability to banish chat heads completely - the current Facebook app for iPhone has no way to do that.)
Over all, Facebook is betting that once users get used to the change, they will use the company's services more than ever. And every additional minute you spend on Facebook is another opportunity to show you an ad.
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