Facebook Messenger App Upgrade Available to All iOS, Android Users

The Facebook Messenger app update the company announced in late October is now available to all iOS and Android mobile users.

The update was originally rolled out to a small group of Android users only.

The most notable update to the app allows users to message anyone in their contacts who has the Messenger app, not just those they are Facebook friends with. The speed of messages also improved, meaning the app works much more like SMS or texting than it did before, said Peter Martinazzi, the Messenger product manager at Facebook.

The new versions of the app were also built specifically for Android and iOS operating systems, meaning the icons, color schemes, and layouts were designed to feel more natural on each OS, said Martinazzi.

The text messaging aspect of the update is important for Facebook's longterm plans around mobile user growth. In many countries where mobile users are routinely charged on a per-text basis, a free messaging service like Messenger could come in handy.
Users can download the iOS version in the App Store, and the Android version in Google Play.