Facebook on Wednesday unveiled a standalone Web version of its Messenger, with the launch of the Messenger.com website.
The social networking giant had previously separated Messenger on Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices from the main Facebook app, and made it mandatory for all users to download the Messenger app to continue to enjoy messaging services on mobile.
With the new Messenger Web interface, users now have a dedicated Web page to chat with their Facebook friends just like on Facebook.com. Similar to its move on the mobile front, the company has effectively separated Facebook Messenger from Facebook, but speaking with Re/code, a Facebook spokesperson has confirmed there are no plans to remove access to messaging services from its core Facebook.com Web service as of now.
The Web version is currently available in English only and support for more languages will come in future. It is also being speculated that the company could soon launch a desktop client as well.
To get started, users can log onto Messenger.com with their Facebook account, and all the existing chats will appear. Users can also make audio and video calls from the top right menu bar.
Meanwhile, OS X users now have a third-party app called Messenger for Mac that can make Messenger.com work like a desktop app on OS X. The app is not official from Facebook, but instead is a "free and open-source project created by fans of Messenger."
The third-party Messenger for Mac app lets users sign into Facebook with Messenger.com and makes it look like a native application for desktop. The app can also add desktop notifications, which can be enabled via the "gear" icon in the top-right corner of the main window.
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