On mobile, Facebook has pretty much moved all of its users over onto its dedicated Messenger app. If you click the icon in the app, it will launch the Messenger app or at least prompt you to download it if you don’t have it already. On the web it is a different story, but one that Facebook appears to be changing.
According to a report from TechCrunch, it seems that quite a few users have noticed that Facebook has changed its Messages icon for the web version of the social network, as you can see in the screenshot above. When you click on it, the same drop down list of recent messages will show up, but when you click “View All in Messenger”, it will actually take you to the Messenger website.
Prior to this, it would take users to Facebook’s messages inbox which we guess is kind of like messenger. However clicking this option now will take users to the web version of Messenger, a standalone website that was actually launched back in 2015 for those who are unfamiliar. The interface is practically the same, save for the version in Facebook sporting the blue navigation bar at the top.
It is clear that Facebook is looking to get more users using its Messenger platform, so this move shouldn’t be surprising. Facebook did not officially announce this move, but the company’s exec David Marcus did respond in the comments here which you can check out if you’re interested in seeing what he had to say about the change.