Facebook strengthens mobile game with 'big plans' for Messenger

Facebook broadcasted that the number of Messenger app users has shot up to a hefty 800 million and further announced their ‘big plans’ for the application coming up in the following year.

David Marcus, Facebook’s Vice President of messaging products, published a blog post informing that Messenger now has more than 800 million monthly active users, as compared to 700 million in June, 600 million in March and 500 million in November 2014.

Marcus claimed in an online post, “The Messenger team's mission is to make Messenger the best place to communicate with all the people and businesses in the world." Though he thought that the number was credible, he mentioned that the messenger is still in its ‘early days.’

Last year the application made some improvements which included ramping up the speed, which made it easier to share photos or make video calls, allowing corporates to use it for customer service and including the ability to send money.

Facebook also tested on knitting its ‘M’ digital virtual assistant into Messenger. According to Marcus, the test of improving the app with artificial intelligence is ‘going well.’

Additionally, Facebook anticipates making phone numbers immaterial in the upcoming years while converting message thread within the new apps.

The extensive acceptance of Messenger also interprets that Facebook is getting the traction it needs to flourish Messenger as the go-to platform for daily communication.

Dissimilar to Google and Apple, Facebook does not flaunt its own mobile operating system, which is, in fact, a disadvantage for the social media giant. But Facebook is on the receiving end as they know where the majority spend their maximum time on compared to any other application.

In 2016, Facebook aspires to reach this vision for Messenger as Marcus claims that the company hopes to make the phone number irrelevant in the coming year while turning message threads into the new apps. After all, if you can accomplish everything you want right inside Messenger, why would you ever leave Facebook?