Facebook Messenger proving to be a hit

Despite all the complaining from many users, Facebook’s separate messaging app has proven to be extremely successful.

When Facebook decided to split the messaging feature into a separate mobile app, many users complained about having to keep two apps on their devices. However, the Facebook Messenger app has been the number one most popular app in the iPhone App Store since late July, and is similarly as popular on Android.

The app itself has some good qualities. Switching between Facebook and Messenger is relatively easy, and with emojis, voice recordings, photo-taking and sending photos from your album, there are numerous messenging options.

The app shows that Facebook can manufacture a hit product after the success of Facebook itself, still the most popular app in the world. Facebook has tried and failed to to clone Snapchat, wisely purchased Instagram and is currently in the works of reeling in WhatsApp, which looked as though it was a real threat to Facebook’s future.

If Messenger becomes the go-to mobile app for quick one-to-one and group communication, there’s a real opportunity for new revenue streams, such as peer-to-peer payments.

Messaging plays a huge part on mobile devices, so it was important that Facebook created a fast, easy to use, reliable and fun messaging service. And they did.

So while many complain that they are forced to download and use the app if they want to use Facebook Messenger, if other “forced” features of Facebook are anything to go by (Timeline, for example), it’ll end up being the norm.