7 ms·

So rather than fixing the problems that result in users messaging via the mobile web app instead of the messenger app, they're just going to "solve" the problem

by jds375 10y ago

So rather than fixing the problems that result in users messaging via the mobile web app instead of the messenger app, they're just going to "solve" the problem by forcing users to use the messenger app? This is why Facebook as a company doesn't have high levels of consumer trust. This will bite them in the future. Once you lose that level of trust it is extremely difficult to gain back.

yungookim 10y ago
Well said
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
manojlds 10y ago
I have no qualms using WhatsApp. It is a very efficient and useful app. They should probably merge messenger and WhatsApp (or maybe not lest they end up making WhatsApp bad too)
- optforfon 10y ago
  from what I understand, WhatsApp works in China and Messenger doesn't. So I doubt they'll merge. But it'd be nice if you could message from one to another
- webvictim 10y ago
  WhatsApp would never accept that. Their brand is a ton better than Messenger's is, for good reason.
- rpgmaker 10y ago
  I hope the bigwigs at FB don't read your comment. Messenger and whatsapp should never be merged. Part of the reason why I'm glad that Messenger is doing so well (I don't use it myself) it's because I believe that gives them less incentive to mess with whatsapp too much. It's very likely that they will fuck it up eventually but the longer it stays usable the better.
SturgeonsLaw 10y ago
I suspect it's less about solving problems and more about breaking out of that web browser sandbox to siphon up more of that juicy, juicy data.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- Harimwakairi 10y ago
  Yep. Thank god for runtime permissions, at least.
  - kobayashi 10y ago
    Like those controlled in the iOS Privacy Setting page?
    - pmx 10y ago
      Yeah we now finally have them on android too in marshmallow
- ACow_Adonis 10y ago
  Apologies, my computer mouse malfunctioned and I downvoted you while swapping between windows, and I felt so bad about doing so I feel compelled to comment :( And I actually agree with you...
  - bookwormAT 10y ago
    Well, I did not intent to vote that post, but now I upvoted it just to undo your mistake.
    - therein 10y ago
      He agreed with him so I just upvoted his post to give him back the upvote he meant.
galistoca 10y ago
I'm not a FB fanboy or anything, but sometimes it is a good choice to free yourself from legacy tech burden and build for the future. The web (html documents fetched via http requests) were not built with mobile devices in mind, especially websockets. In the mobile era, all messaging is based on push notifications which must go through the device vendor (APNS or GCM), and trying to support the legacy tech in this landscape is just not worth it.
- codeka 10y ago
  Chrome has perfectly acceptable push notification support. I am an occasional user of Facebook Messenger, and using the mobile website was perfect: I don't care if notifications are delayed or even lost (I'll see the messages eventually anyway). But there's no way I'm going to install a separate app for something I use maybe once a week, tops. If it stops working from the mobile website, then I just wait until I'm back at my computer to read fb messenges.
  - galistoca 10y ago
    I'll assume, by Chrome you mean desktop Chrome. This is irrelevant to my comment. I was specifically talking about realtime push notifications via mobile devices. Also remember that your preference is just your preference, many people would want to be able to make sure their messages get seen in realtime. And Facebook probably wants that for their users too. Again, I'm not saying this is a good thing. I'm just saying it's not an illogical decision. You are free to complain but it would be stupid for Facebook to keep going this way just so they can support the legacy technology.
    - lelandbatey 10y ago
      Chrome on Android does support real-time push notifications. I know because I was notified of a friend's Facebook post I was mentioned in within 5 seconds of my friend posting it. I don't have Facebook installed on my phone, and he posted it from his phone while my phone was face up on the table between us and we both where surprised at how fast I was notified.
wrsh07 10y ago
"Users were messaging via the web frontend, so we fixed the glitch."
- zo1 10y ago
  And we were doing it because Facebook was pushing their messenger app, when the normal Facebook app handled it just fine. They just simply decided one day, oh hey let's redirect the messages page on the Facebook app to a static page saying "download messenger" and not give any access to the messages, including view-access. Even when you get a notification on your phone about a new message.
  - hudell 10y ago
    I actually liked that I could use a messenger app without all the rest of the stuff that I never used. But I think they split it back then because they wanted to have something more similar to whatsapp (which wasn't theirs yet) - They apparently let you use a phone number to log to messenger too.
  - jordonwii 10y ago
    You can actually view messages on the mobile web app (or you could earlier today, anyway). On my phone, clicking on messages tells me to download messenger. If I ignore that and hit all messages, it nags again, but eventually does it. FWIW, I discovered this because Messenger would not show me a group chat that I was added to by co-workers (who I'm not friends with on FB). Edit: just realized you were referring to the app, not the site. My mistake.
- rck404 10y ago
  I really wish I could fix all bugs at my workplace like that.
- nstj 10y ago
  It will just work itself out naturally.
amelius 10y ago
If fixing a chat app poses a problem to a billion dollar company, then we have bigger problems to worry about.
maccard 10y ago
What data can yhet get from having messenger as an app rather than a website? They already have my list of contacts, all the messages I've sent, they can store my message as I type it through their website. I just don't understand!
- r3bl 10y ago
  Your GPS location (if you have it turned on), your SMS messages, your call logs, your phone's storage, your camera, your mic... Just read the permissions: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.orca https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.o... I've never had a Facebook app on any of my phones and I will never install one. Worth pointing out: Luckily, my phone came without Facebook apps preinstalled, so I had the choice of seeing what Facebook wants to access. Other people don't even have that chance since it comes preinstalled in most of the cases.
  - maccard 10y ago
    But they have that data through their regular Facebook app (I wonder if that's next). Also I'm on iOS so I can deny access to Gps/location/camera/mic and there's no way to access my message history. Thanks for the reply though!
    - Karlozkiller 10y ago
      That's exactly why many don't run the official Facebook either. There are third party apps using the web-interface meant to sandbox Facebook so they can't gather all information. Up until now those web-interfaces have also been able to use the chat though. And you can still do that with some quick apps made to work around this block by facebook.
barney54 10y ago
And hopefully there will be more people who refuse to instal another messaging app.
randiantech 10y ago
Is there any source to confirm "Facebook as a company doesn't have high levels of consumer trust"? I even find hard to understand what consumer trust means in a precise way.
PunchTornado 10y ago
no.they need their users on messenger because they have big plans for that app. there are already businesses connecting with customers through messenger.

by jds375 10y ago

yungookim 10y ago

Well said

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

manojlds 10y ago

I have no qualms using WhatsApp. It is a very efficient and useful app. They should probably merge messenger and WhatsApp (or maybe not lest they end up making WhatsApp bad too)

optforfon 10y ago
from what I understand, WhatsApp works in China and Messenger doesn't. So I doubt they'll merge. But it'd be nice if you could message from one to another
webvictim 10y ago
WhatsApp would never accept that. Their brand is a ton better than Messenger's is, for good reason.
rpgmaker 10y ago
I hope the bigwigs at FB don't read your comment. Messenger and whatsapp should never be merged. Part of the reason why I'm glad that Messenger is doing so well (I don't use it myself) it's because I believe that gives them less incentive to mess with whatsapp too much. It's very likely that they will fuck it up eventually but the longer it stays usable the better.

SturgeonsLaw 10y ago

I suspect it's less about solving problems and more about breaking out of that web browser sandbox to siphon up more of that juicy, juicy data.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
Harimwakairi 10y ago
Yep. Thank god for runtime permissions, at least.
- kobayashi 10y ago
  Like those controlled in the iOS Privacy Setting page?
  - pmx 10y ago
    Yeah we now finally have them on android too in marshmallow
ACow_Adonis 10y ago
Apologies, my computer mouse malfunctioned and I downvoted you while swapping between windows, and I felt so bad about doing so I feel compelled to comment :( And I actually agree with you...
- bookwormAT 10y ago
  Well, I did not intent to vote that post, but now I upvoted it just to undo your mistake.
  - therein 10y ago
    He agreed with him so I just upvoted his post to give him back the upvote he meant.

galistoca 10y ago

I'm not a FB fanboy or anything, but sometimes it is a good choice to free yourself from legacy tech burden and build for the future. The web (html documents fetched via http requests) were not built with mobile devices in mind, especially websockets. In the mobile era, all messaging is based on push notifications which must go through the device vendor (APNS or GCM), and trying to support the legacy tech in this landscape is just not worth it.

codeka 10y ago
Chrome has perfectly acceptable push notification support. I am an occasional user of Facebook Messenger, and using the mobile website was perfect: I don't care if notifications are delayed or even lost (I'll see the messages eventually anyway). But there's no way I'm going to install a separate app for something I use maybe once a week, tops. If it stops working from the mobile website, then I just wait until I'm back at my computer to read fb messenges.
- galistoca 10y ago
  I'll assume, by Chrome you mean desktop Chrome. This is irrelevant to my comment. I was specifically talking about realtime push notifications via mobile devices. Also remember that your preference is just your preference, many people would want to be able to make sure their messages get seen in realtime. And Facebook probably wants that for their users too. Again, I'm not saying this is a good thing. I'm just saying it's not an illogical decision. You are free to complain but it would be stupid for Facebook to keep going this way just so they can support the legacy technology.
  - lelandbatey 10y ago
    Chrome on Android does support real-time push notifications. I know because I was notified of a friend's Facebook post I was mentioned in within 5 seconds of my friend posting it. I don't have Facebook installed on my phone, and he posted it from his phone while my phone was face up on the table between us and we both where surprised at how fast I was notified.

wrsh07 10y ago

"Users were messaging via the web frontend, so we fixed the glitch."

zo1 10y ago
And we were doing it because Facebook was pushing their messenger app, when the normal Facebook app handled it just fine. They just simply decided one day, oh hey let's redirect the messages page on the Facebook app to a static page saying "download messenger" and not give any access to the messages, including view-access. Even when you get a notification on your phone about a new message.
- hudell 10y ago
  I actually liked that I could use a messenger app without all the rest of the stuff that I never used. But I think they split it back then because they wanted to have something more similar to whatsapp (which wasn't theirs yet) - They apparently let you use a phone number to log to messenger too.
- jordonwii 10y ago
  You can actually view messages on the mobile web app (or you could earlier today, anyway). On my phone, clicking on messages tells me to download messenger. If I ignore that and hit all messages, it nags again, but eventually does it. FWIW, I discovered this because Messenger would not show me a group chat that I was added to by co-workers (who I'm not friends with on FB). Edit: just realized you were referring to the app, not the site. My mistake.
rck404 10y ago
I really wish I could fix all bugs at my workplace like that.
nstj 10y ago
It will just work itself out naturally.

amelius 10y ago

If fixing a chat app poses a problem to a billion dollar company, then we have bigger problems to worry about.

maccard 10y ago

What data can yhet get from having messenger as an app rather than a website? They already have my list of contacts, all the messages I've sent, they can store my message as I type it through their website. I just don't understand!

r3bl 10y ago
Your GPS location (if you have it turned on), your SMS messages, your call logs, your phone's storage, your camera, your mic... Just read the permissions: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.orca https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.o... I've never had a Facebook app on any of my phones and I will never install one. Worth pointing out: Luckily, my phone came without Facebook apps preinstalled, so I had the choice of seeing what Facebook wants to access. Other people don't even have that chance since it comes preinstalled in most of the cases.
- maccard 10y ago
  But they have that data through their regular Facebook app (I wonder if that's next). Also I'm on iOS so I can deny access to Gps/location/camera/mic and there's no way to access my message history. Thanks for the reply though!
  - Karlozkiller 10y ago
    That's exactly why many don't run the official Facebook either. There are third party apps using the web-interface meant to sandbox Facebook so they can't gather all information. Up until now those web-interfaces have also been able to use the chat though. And you can still do that with some quick apps made to work around this block by facebook.

barney54 10y ago

And hopefully there will be more people who refuse to instal another messaging app.

randiantech 10y ago

Is there any source to confirm "Facebook as a company doesn't have high levels of consumer trust"? I even find hard to understand what consumer trust means in a precise way.

PunchTornado 10y ago

no.they need their users on messenger because they have big plans for that app. there are already businesses connecting with customers through messenger.