12.05.2023
Meta has revealed plans to end Instagram users' ability to chat with Facebook accounts later this month, rolling back a feature that it introduced over three years ago. In September
In September 2020, Meta (then Facebook) announced it was merging its Facebook Messenger service with Instagram direct messaging, allowing Instagram users to chat with Facebook users and vice versa using the same platform.
The move was supposed to be part of a long-term plan to merge Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp chat platforms into one underlying messaging infrastructure. The idea behind the plan was said to be to keep people within the Facebook ecosystem, and off of rival texting apps like Apple's iMessage.
However, according to an updated Instagram support page, beginning in mid-December the following cross-app communication features will no longer be available to Instagram users:
When cross-app chat ends, Instagram users will need to start a new chat on Messenger or Facebook from their Facebook account to continue conversations with Facebook accounts.
- You won't be able to start new conversations or calls with Facebook accounts from Instagram.
- Any existing chats on Instagram that you've had with Facebook accounts will become read-only, even if these Facebook accounts are removed from the chat. This means that you and others with Instagram accounts can't send new messages in these chats.
- Facebook accounts won't be able to view your Activity Status or whether you've seen a message.
- Any existing chats you've had with Facebook accounts won't move to your inbox on Facebook or Messenger.
Meta offered no reason for the change, but 9to5Google speculates that it could be part of a larger effort to comply with Europe's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The theory is that Meta could be preparing to introduce wider interoperability between Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp, which would fulfill a key requirement of the DMA. Either that or it is simply scaling back Messenger once again – the company recently removed SMS/MMS support on Android and has shut down Messenger Lite.
Tags: Facebook Messenger, Instagram
This article, "Instagram and Facebook Messenger Chats to Disconnect This Month" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
You may also be interested in this
These far-out features co…
05.12.2023
Macworld Ever since Apple set the ball rolling with its first iPhone, the smartphone industry has been overflowing with clever lifestyle ideas and new milestones. Apple itself is often at
Apple begins requiring ap…
10.03.2023
Apple has begun requiring new apps to show proof of a Chinese Communist Party license before including the apps on its China App Store. Josh Ye for Reuters: Apple
10 million join Threads i…
07.06.2023
The new social media app Threads, from Meta, has experienced a mass swarm of popularity on launch day. The company announced more than 10 million sign-ups to the service, less
Meta has been working on …
05.19.2023
Ever since Twitter was acquired by Elon Musk, some users have been looking for alternatives to the social network as they’re unhappy with the company’s latest decisions. We’ve seen Mastodon
SCMP: Apple’s Mac Studio …
06.16.2023
The new Mac Studio features M2 Max and the new M2 Ultra chip to deliver a huge boost in performance and connectivity in a stunningly compact design that lives right
Europe to begin crackdown…
08.22.2023
The first phase of the European Union's groundbreaking new digital rules will take effect this week. Some online platforms have already started making changes.
Meta’s Twitter Alte…
07.06.2023
Meta today officially launched Threads, the new social media app that it has been working on as an alternative to Twitter. Threads was meant to launch on Thursday, but the
Avoiding Stories is getti…
06.27.2023
Those temporary photos and videos known as Stories are everywhere these days. Popularized by Snapchat and Instagram, it seems that every social network has decided to have its own version
