You can no longer sign up for Messenger without a Facebook account

Social networking giant Facebook has removed the ability to sign up for Messenger without a Facebook account. Meaning, the Facebook account is required to be able to sign up for the Messenger service. Facebook has secretly gotten rid off the ability that allowed users to sign up for Messenger without a Facebook account. Previously, Messenger users could sign up using their phone number instead of a Facebook account.

“If you’re new to Messenger, you’ll notice that you need a Facebook account to chat with friends and close connections,” a  spokesperson said. “We found that the vast majority of people who use Messenger already log in through Facebook and we want to simplify the process. If you already use Messenger without a Facebook account, no need to do anything.”

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According to certain Messenger users who don't have a Facebook account, the implementation doesn't seem to have gone too well. In what could be an effect of a possible bug, some Messenger users have complained that they have encountered an error message, which indicates that their account has been restricted.

Back in June 2015, Facebook allowed users to sign up for a Messenger account without a Facebook account. It was first rolled out to users in the U.S., Canada, Peru and Venezuela. Apart from phone numbers, photos and names of users were also accepted as forms of login identification while signing up for Messenger.

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In related news, Facebook is readying the launch of a whole new desktop app for Messenger, which is expected to provide users with features like permanently deleting sent messages, Dark mode, sending files, support for full-screen, hiding chats, a new icon and updated emojis. Facebook is already in the process of rolling out the updated Messenger app to Windows 10 users.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is already working on encrypted and unified communication experience across WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram Direct. It will be interesting to see how the desktop application of Facebook Messenger implements the same standards as that of its smartphone counterpart.