If you are reading this article, I am sure you are, like me, a heavy user of Facebook. Apart from virtually connecting us with friends, family members, colleagues, etc. Facebook also has this messenger (not WhatsApp!) on which we rely on unknowingly. Long time back I ditched both the Facebook App and Facebook Messenger in favor of the mobile website. Thrown in the web notification feature and I never felt the need to go back to installing the battery and RAM hog that Facebook application for android is known for.
Earlier upon opening the messenger section on mobile website displayed a dismissible overlay showing an option to install messenger. This was convenient, get it if you want, ignore it otherwise. Made sense for the user, like you and me. However, more recently, Facebook has decided to be more aggressive in their app ‘promotion’ strategy leveraging users need to use Facebook Messenger with shoving down the app installation by automatically redirecting user to Google Play Store listing.
This is evident from the fact that, now, when you try to access messenger section on mobile website, Google Play Store is automatically opened with Facebook Messenger installation window. The good part here is you can click the back button on your device, get back to the browser window and hit the small cross icon (as usual). Though this is annoying but as against the messenger app sucking on my mobile phone’s battery, I can live with it. The bad part is that there is a subtle hint (refer screenshot) that eventually access to messenger from mobile website will go away in favor of the application. The clear indication in bold letters reads,
Your conversations are moving to Messenger
Till then let’s hope that Facebook does improve its Messenger app to be a less of hog before making Messenger an app only business.