Facebook Messenger reaches half a billion users

Facebook’s Messenger app now connects half a billion monthly users following its launch in 2011, despite once being at the centre of privacy fears and download scandal.

The standalone, dedicated app hit headlines after users were forced to download the separate tool to carry on using services. The app also stirred up fears that it compromised users privacy.

Last week Facebook’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged that forcing people to install another app was “a short term painful thing”, but added that the benefit was that his firm could offer a “faster and more focused” experience.

Peter Martinazzi, director of product management at Facebook, said in a blog post: “Messenger was the first of our standalone apps, and unlike our core Facebook apps, it focused on one use case – messaging. With Messenger, you can reach people instantly.

“It is just as fast as SMS but gives you the ability to express yourself in ways that SMS can’t. You can send stickers or videos, take selfies, chat with groups and make free calls. We’ve also continued to improve speed and reliability. Updates to Messenger ship every two weeks so it continues to evolve and improve.”