Meta discontinues Messenger Lite for Android, it will be unavailable after Sep 18. Users need to install regular Messenger app instead

I have not found any news article on this on a whim. Because my friends and family, I need to use Facebook Messenger, and Messenger Lite was a OK client - lightweight, no unnecessary features, etc., compared to the regular Messenger app.

Now I’m a little torn, having a Meta app on my phone is already bad, but having to downgrade to the bloated Messenger app? Not sure I will make a change. What are your thoughts?

Ever since Facebook forced the separate Messenger app, I’ve refused to install it. Instead, when I see a message notification, I pop into a browser, head to Facebook.com and push the desktop version. While it’s clunky, I’ve never had to download Messenger.

Separate messaging app was the best thing they ever did. I’ve not had Facebook installed since.

Same. This will change nothing for me. I refuse their bullshit.

You’re still using their shit, just in a very inconvenient way. In fact, you’re going to their site that contains targeted ads rather than using an ad free app. What a strange hill to die on.

I have exactly one group that insists on communicating this way. Which is why this isn’t a big inconvenience for me. Your point is well taken, but doesn’t really apply in my case. I’m not a user of the service, which is why it’s so easy for me to refuse to install it, and hopefully I can use this to pressure the group to move to discord or some other means of communication. But if not I will continue to use the desktop site rather than install an app.

I’d rather have a slight inconvenience of seeing their ads on their website for the few moments I’d need to send a message than having their spyware of an app tracking everything I do all day long.

https://mbasic.facebook.com/ still works. It’s missing some modern niceties, but usable. That’s what I use for occasional messages.

In my head, i read this URL as https://YaBasic.facebook.com

I thought of a neck beard: “m’basic”

Why? I mean it’s much better to have the messenger app without all the facebook BS.

Its very easy to disregard facebook in 2023, but Messenger is still one of the more prominent messaging app.

https://www.messenger.com/ also works (requires to be running as desktop version). Still not ideal but works.

I hate to say this, but Facebook Messenger is one of the most fully featured messaging apps. It has its own internal messaging standard that offers iMessage like features between Facebook users, and it also is one of the better SMS apps out there.

I can see why they make it its own app, it’s supposed to replace other messaging apps.

Same here. I wish Disa messenger app was maintained as it was my one stop shop for a few messenger apps.

Is their messenger still a 150 MB monster that gets updated twice a day?

Yes, and they constantly change how parts of the UI work, most often getting more in the way of efficient actual messaging… It’s really bad.

They cut the size down to 30 MB on iOS in 2019, but they’re back to 110 since (on Android, it’s 60 MB).

EDIT: In terms of updates, they are pretty stable at one update a week on both systems.

Android 13 here, Messenger is 148mb, last update 11 days ago

I think the Facebook Lite app includes messaging too.

No… I disabled the auto updates.

I wish someone discontinued Meta

Too bad Threads hasn’t entered the Fediverse, things could’ve been easier.

I’ll die before I install Facebook Messenger

Same. Just have to hold out until the EU makes all messaging apps cross+operable and then I’ll be able to talk to everyone again.

Careful. They could be listening.

I hope they are.

Hey Facebook, eat a bag of dicks!

A whole bag of them!

Who tf uses messenger

Everyone in my family 😞

Ask them to go physically to your house if they ever need to tell you something urgent. If they refuse to, good riddance

Oh ya I’ll just tell my grandparents to drive 10-12 hours to get to the other side of the island every time they want to talk to me or see my face

Considering I live 2000 miles away from them and do not want them randomly showing up at my door, no thanks lol.

They all have phone numbers you can text and they don’t need to install another app or sign up for anything at least. But I understand when they prefer it and you have a fb account anyways.

Good luck sending photos or holding a video call with the scant 1100 bits provided by an SMS message…

Sharing media over MMS is a garbage experience. I would need to convince them to use something reasonable, which is a lost cause.

Texting still exists.

Being spied on by facebook, microsoft, and google is not worth the risk to me personally.

Again, who tf uses messenger?

Again, who tf uses messenger?

The entire nation of Poland

You’d rather be spied on by your carrier… Got it.

In our country, texting (through the built-in Messenger app) is mostly done as an emergency measure, as most people here use Meta’s other messaging app, WhatsApp.

Over 3 billion users combined.

So, to answer your question: “Nearly everybody.”

That’s overly dramatic, we’re over 8 billion already… so it’s “Nearly half of everybody” 😜

Facebook is the main social media in Africa. It’s not a bommer thing there, everyone use it.

Africa makes more sense. Imperialist nations want to influence the entire continent if possible.

USA, China, and Russia are all vying over the global-south like vultures

At least a billion people

Australians apparently. That’s what my cousins said as the explanation for why their family chat was on Facebook.

Messenger is the most popular messaging app in Australia by far. #2 is Apple/Facetime (which is about equal with WhatsApp in terms of market share) but there’s a huge gap between #1 and #2.

Living in western Europe I would have said no one, but in most of central and eastern Europe is strictly necessary to reach anyone.

Only the stupidest of humanity.

Well, there goes central Europe

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Meta discontinues Messenger Lite for Android, it will be unavailable after Sep 18. Users need to install regular Messenger app instead(beehaw.org)

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