Messenger

If there's an app that we would say you have to forcefully download on your smartphone, no matter if you use it or not, it's probably FB messenger. It's like one of those friends that don't have the budget to go on a trip but end up in the van at the last minute. But that's kind of cool because that one friend is the main highlight of the trip. The same goes for messenger, it's one of those apps that you think you won't use, but once you install it, it becomes one of the most used apps on your smartphone. To learn how to install Messenger for iPhone or Android, follow the steps below.

How to download FB Messenger

As mentioned previously, FB Messenger works alongside the FB native app, so if you want to enjoy the full scale of this social media platform, then the messenger app is a must. The app is available in most app stores including Google Play Store, Apple App Store, Huawei Store, Amazon Store, as well as Microsoft Store.

The app also has a dedicated web portal (messenger.com), which we’ll talk about in a minute. Here’s how you can download Messenger on your smartphone.

Go to your smartphone App Store
In the search bar, enter Messenger tap open the first app link
From here, press the Download/Get button
Allow the app to download on your smartphone

How to Install FB Messenger

Once you’ve downloaded the application, there’s no need to install it. FB Messenger app tends to install on its own. Depending on the network speed you have, the app can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes to download and install on your smartphone.

Once done, the first thing you have to do is to Login with your Facebook account. As messenger requires a Facebook account to operate. Create one if you don’t have any or just sign in with your existing account.

There’s also a button labeled “Connect with Facebook” which automatically connects your FB app with the messenger app and saves you the trouble of setting up your account credentials.

After you’ve connected your account, the messenger app will showcase all the chats you have along with people online and stories.

How to use FB Messenger

Using FB Messenger is pretty much straightforward as the app is designed in a very user-friendly way. The interface is almost the same whether you use the Android client or the iOS. The basic chat screen includes a list of people with whom you’ve recently chatted.

Messages

There’s also a very friendly “online status” option at the top of the screen which showcases all the latest status from your friends and the pages you liked on Facebook.

The chat feature itself is very intuitive and there are plenty of options you can play around with. Starting from the basics, you can send text-based messages to your friends, you can voice and video call, send emojis, stickers, voice note, live location, and Gifs.

Secret Conversation

In case you don’t know, Messenger now allows you to send end-to-end encryption messages to your friends. By going to your friend’s messenger profile and selecting the secret conversation option, you can chat with your friend privately. You can also set the timer for this conversation, which when after completion will be automatically cleared from your smartphone.

And in case you’re wondering, your regular chats are not encrypted, and Facebook kind of knows what you send to other people. Your conversations are being used with so-called “app experience improvement”, which is another fancy name to display ads on your phone.

Voice and Video Calls

There’s also a very great camera app feature that basically allows you to send live images and selfies. You can choose from a variety of different filters and stickers.

The messenger app is also integrated with all the other apps Facebook owns, meaning that you’ll also get Boomerang, Layout, and plenty of face filters. You can also change the Theme of individual chat, Emoji, and nickname your friend.

Unlike the rest of the messaging apps, video calling on Messenger are stable and easy to operate. You have the option to call individual friends on the app or call 8 people within the same group. Messenger also has a very good feature called “Room” where you can add up to 250 people and group call up to 50 people from the same group.

Voice calls on the other side are similar to what you see on other communication apps. They are good, stable and you’ll also get the option to switch from voice to video call or vice versa.

Status

Another great feature, which Facebook seems to integrate into all of their devices is the use of status. Messenger status has a separate icon located on the right side of the screen. Located by the name “people” tab, you can click this option and select the “status” tab to see what’s trendy from your friends.

You can also reply to a messenger status or send from a list of 5 emojis. Clicking the “Add to Story” allows you to upload your status. Here you can either select the text option or browse some pictures or videos from your smartphone gallery app.

FB Messenger Overview

FB Messenger is a standalone social media app that lets you chat with your Facebook friends, share stickers, Gifs, photos, and even place video calls. It’s available on all major platforms including Android, iOS, Microsoft Store, Huawei Store, and even has a web-based portal that you can run on your browser.

Up until recently, Messenger also supported SMS messages, but the company decided to terminate this feature in the newer update. Still, FB Messenger is one of the most downloaded and widely used communication apps in the world with an estimated 2.5 billion active users.

Now that we know the basics of the application, here’s how you can download and use it.

Final Verdict:

FB Messenger is popular, in fact, one of the most widely used and downloaded apps of all time. It’s a great communication app that you can use to chat with your Facebook friends. However, it doesn’t mean that we just keep on downloading apps on our smartphones.

If Facebook somehow integrates this chat feature in the original FB app, that would be something to try.