Meta to shut down Messenger desktop app

"If you’re using the Messenger desktop apps, you’ll get an in-app notification once the deprecation process begins," a notice on Messenger’s help page states.

"You will have 60 days to use the Mac Messenger app before it is fully deprecated. Once the 60 days are over, you’ll be blocked from using the Mac Messenger app. We encourage you to delete the app since it will no longer be usable."

Messenger mobile app. Photo from Pexels

After the deadline, users will no longer be able to access Messenger through the desktop apps. Instead, they will be redirected to the Messenger web interface or the chat function within Facebook, TechCrunch reported. The mobile versions of Messenger for iOS and Android will remain unaffected.

Meta has advised users to activate secure storage and set up a PIN to preserve their chat history before moving to the web version. Once users switch to Facebook.com, their chat history will remain accessible across all platforms.

To check if secure storage is enabled, users can click the settings icon above their profile picture, navigate to Privacy & Safety > End-to-end encrypted chats > Message storage, and verify whether "Turn on secure storage" is activated.

According to TechRadar, the phase-out has sparked backlash from long-time users who rely on the desktop version for daily communication, citing its smoother performance and fewer distractions compared to the web platform.

"I think this is gonna be the final straw for me," one Reddit user wrote. "Literally the only reason I still interact with FB is Messenger. If I have to used the FB app to message people I'm out."

Another Reddit user said they never use Facebook but rely on Messenger to organize group activities. "We may need to switch to something else, because I'm not getting back on Facebook."

Meta first tested Messenger on Windows 7 in 2011. In April 2016, it launched the app via the Microsoft Store for Windows 10, followed by full releases for both macOS and Windows in 2020.