Facebook boss Tom Alison Announced today that the company is testing the ability for users to access their Messenger inbox within the Facebook app. In 2016, Facebook removed the messaging capabilities of its mobile web app to push people to the Messenger app, in a move that angered many users.
Now, the company is testing a reversal of this decision. in a blog postAlison said that the social network is currently testing this change, noting that Facebook plans to expand the test soon. The change comes as Facebook and other Meta-owned platforms look to compete with TikTok.
“Over the next year, we’ll be creating more ways to integrate messaging features into Facebook,” Alison said in the blog post. “Ultimately, we want to make it easy and convenient for people to connect and share, whether it’s in the Messenger app or directly on Facebook.”
Over the past year, Facebook has shifted its focus away from being an app for close friends and family and has instead positioned itself as a platform for discovery. Last June, the social network revamped its “Home” feed to improve content discovery. At the time, Facebook said that the home feed serves as a discovery engine for users to find new content and creators through algorithmic recommendations.
The move indicated Meta’s continued desire to go after TikTok, its biggest threat. Since Facebook has focused on being a discovery engine, it’s no surprise that it’s looking to bring back in-app messaging. By doing so, you can present yourself as a place for users to directly discuss content after discovering it. Alison notes that it’s important for Facebook to make it easy for people to share what they discover on Facebook through messages, without having to switch to another app. Since TikTok displays new content to its users and also provides a place to discuss it via direct messages, Facebook probably thinks it needs the same to compete with it.
As part of today’s announcement, Alison said Facebook is off to a great start this year and the social network is “thriving.”
“Contrary to reports to the contrary, Facebook is neither dead nor dying but alive and thriving with 2 billion daily active users,” Alison wrote. “People use Facebook for more than just connecting with friends and family, but also to discover and participate in what’s most important to them.”
In its fourth-quarter earnings reported last month, the company reported fourth-quarter revenue of $32.17 billion, beating estimates, though still down 4% year-over-year and marking the third straight quarter of declines. However, the stock soared after its earnings topped Meta’s promises of “a year of efficiency” and its lesser focus on the metaverse in favor of AI work.
