Facebook Messenger: Mac version to be discontinued without replacement
Meta is betting on cost-cutting measures and is killing its own macOS app for its messenger service. Now you have to use the website.
Facebook Messenger: Long awaited Mac client.
(Image: Meta)
Anyone who still has friends or family who use Facebook's Messenger service will have to switch on their Mac soon. The native client available for good five and a half years for the platform will soon be discontinued by the parent company Meta. The social networking group did not disclose why but only provides information in a support document about what users can do now. The application has already been removed from Apple's App Store for macOS, but it can still be launched at the moment. A fresh login was also still possible this week.
60 days after the end
The idea behind Facebook Messenger for macOS was to have an application for the desktop that is equivalent to Apple's Messages app. The application allowed Messenger to be used outside the browser; there is still no official Facebook app for macOS. Now the step back to the web is taking place: As soon as Facebook Messenger for macOS no longer starts—which is likely to be the case in the foreseeable future due to a lack of updates—you will have to switch to the browser.
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“The Messenger app for Mac is being discontinued. After discontinuation, you will no longer be able to log in to this app and will be automatically redirected to the Facebook website to use messaging,” Meta writes about the shutdown. This seems to be happening gradually. “If you are using the desktop apps of Messenger, you will receive a notification in the app once it is discontinued.” In the version tested by Mac & i, the notification appeared (very) briefly but then disappeared again immediately. After restarting, it did not reappear.
Create and transfer PIN
If you receive the message that the app is being discontinued, Meta says you have 60 days before the app is “completely discontinued.” “Once the 60 days have passed, you will no longer be able to use the Messenger app for Mac. We recommend deleting the app as it can no longer be used.” Data should not be lost. However, you seem to have to activate the so-called secure storage for this. To achieve this, a PIN must be set up via the desktop app before switching to the web version. “Once you switch to Facebook.com, your chat history will be available on all platforms.”
You can check if storage is active in the settings under “End-to-end encrypted chats” (under Privacy) and “Message storage.” There, “activate secure storage” must be clicked. There you can then set a PIN and, if desired, also store the key in iCloud. It remained unclear at first whether you would be forced to use facebook.com in the future. Meta states that you can use Messenger accounts without a Facebook account via messenger.com. However, this is also possible—at least currently—with accounts that use Facebook, as could be verified.
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