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Facebook Adds SMS Support To Messenger (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on from the chatter-in-the-hall dept.

Facebook Messenger already lets you send texts to your friends and other billion people on the social network, and also make voice calls and video calls. The social juggernaut is now also introducing support for SMS messages. The move comes a day after Apple introduced several new features to its Message app. Facebook Messenger used to have SMS functionality, but it was pulled in 2013 citing low usage. The feature is currently only available on Messenger for Android. TechCrunch reports: Users on any platform can receive SMS sent through Messenger, and they won't be able to tell it wasn't sent from a standard texting app. But since Apple doesn't provide as much flexibility for developers, iOS provides no option to change your SMS client, and there are no plans to bring this Facebook feature to the iPhone.In some other news, Facebook's move to retire messaging feature from its mobile website has irked Ubuntu Phone users.

6 of 60 comments (clear)

  1. I hope they fail. by danbob999 · · Score: 3

    I hope Facebook, Apple, and all others closed-down, proprietary messaging protocols will fail and that open standards will win.

    1. Re:I hope they fail. by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If you think Apple are slave to the US government you haven't been following the news lately.

    2. Re:I hope they fail. by bondsbw · · Score: 2

      I use iMessage, and I don't have many problems with it. But one friend who doesn't have iOS can't join group iMessages, so a group that meets regularly at different locations often plans things without him and sometimes we even forget to notify him.

      Yes, we are bad friends.

      But I'd like to be a better friend by including him. Apple would rather him buy an iPhone.

      --
      All my liberal friends think I'm a conservative, all my conservative friends think I'm a liberal.
  2. "has irked Ubuntu Phone users" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    both of them?!

    1. Re:"has irked Ubuntu Phone users" by danbob999 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      not using Ubuntu Phone, but when I used Facebook messaging on my phone, it was through the web. I'm not installing any of their bloated app.

  3. OH NOES!!! by mschwanke97402 · · Score: 2

    The FaceBook set are now able to send text messages? Wasn't bad enough that they were poking, prodding and, in general, annoying the F**K out of one another. Now they can like me and friend me by SMS too!!! I can just see Zuck harvesting names and phone numbers for use by his FaceBook hordes to reach out and assimilate us non-members.

    Don't believe me? I recall quite clearly when FaceBook harvested data from domain registries and other sources to use in creating millions of FaceBook business pages, including one for my business, without my permission mind. Following that I was hounded to "claim my page". I did claim it and then went through all the nonsense it actually takes to delete a FaceBook account permanently.

    These #%^@#$@# new-economy types have no scruples, ethics or honor.