Facebook just replaced your desktop inbox with Messenger
Facebook has changed the way we read our private messages. Again.
In the latest update sure to stir up the user base — even if it's just for a little while — the social network appears to have ditched the old layout of its desktop website's inbox, replacing it with Facebook Messenger.
The move to Messenger, first spotted by TechCrunch, brings even greater uniformity to the overall Facebook user experience. Your inbox on Facebook.com is now identical to your inbox on the Facebook mobile app, the Messenger mobile app and the standalone Messenger website, complete with the chat-friendly options that come along with the service, like built-in emoji, sticker and GIF buttons, along with the more specialized commands, like payment and games.
While chatting with friends from the Home screen remains the same, with a pop-up window for each conversation, the Inbox icon has been supplanted by Messenger's now-familiar circular blue logo.
Once you select the logo, you're taken directly into the Messenger interface.
You can explore the inbox features of Messenger using the dropdown tool seen below. Any archived threads from the old Inbox system will roll over, and it's much easier to find those creepy message requests from randos in your Filtered Requests inbox.
Unsurprisingly, user response to the change came quickly. After a post about what's coming from Messenger in 2017 was inundated with complaints about the loss of the inbox layout, Facebook's head of Messenger David Marcus replied in a comment to address the issue:
1st and foremost: all of the 1 billion+ people using Messenger use it primarily on mobile, and occasionally on desktop. One of their main request has always been feature-parity on desktop. That means that you can now video chat from desktop, send stickers, GIFs, and way more. We basically want to satisfy the ask of harmonizing the user experience and the capabilities of Messenger across all platforms.
He later stated that the Messenger team will consider implementing solutions to address the most common user complaints about Messenger going forward.
Mashable reached out to Facebook about the potential ramifications of the new setup — particularly if the separate browser Messenger client will continue to exist. A rep didn't respond directly to the question.
Brett Williams is a Tech Reporter at Mashable. He writes about tech news, trends and other tangentially related topics with a particular interest in wearables and exercise tech. Prior to Mashable, he wrote for Inked Magazine and Thrillist. Brett's work has also appeared on Fusion and AskMen, to name a few. You can follow Brett on Twitter @bdwilliams910.
