this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2023
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I have not found any news article on this on a whim. Because my friends and family, I need to use Facebook Messenger, and Messenger Lite was a OK client - lightweight, no unnecessary features, etc., compared to the regular Messenger app.

Now I'm a little torn, having a Meta app on my phone is already bad, but having to downgrade to the bloated Messenger app? Not sure I will make a change. What are your thoughts?

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[–] Birdcatname@beehaw.org 86 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Ever since Facebook forced the separate Messenger app, I've refused to install it. Instead, when I see a message notification, I pop into a browser, head to Facebook.com and push the desktop version. While it's clunky, I've never had to download Messenger.

[–] Carter@feddit.uk 34 points 1 year ago

Separate messaging app was the best thing they ever did. I've not had Facebook installed since.

[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Same. This will change nothing for me. I refuse their bullshit.

[–] Steeve@lemmy.ca 44 points 1 year ago (10 children)

You're still using their shit, just in a very inconvenient way. In fact, you're going to their site that contains targeted ads rather than using an ad free app. What a strange hill to die on.

[–] MagicShel@programming.dev 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have exactly one group that insists on communicating this way. Which is why this isn't a big inconvenience for me. Your point is well taken, but doesn't really apply in my case. I'm not a user of the service, which is why it's so easy for me to refuse to install it, and hopefully I can use this to pressure the group to move to discord or some other means of communication. But if not I will continue to use the desktop site rather than install an app.

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[–] colournoun@beehaw.org 12 points 1 year ago (2 children)

https://mbasic.facebook.com/ still works. It's missing some modern niceties, but usable. That's what I use for occasional messages.

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[–] twistedtxb@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago

Why? I mean it's much better to have the messenger app without all the facebook BS.

Its very easy to disregard facebook in 2023, but Messenger is still one of the more prominent messaging app.

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[–] aksdb@feddit.de 52 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Is their messenger still a 150 MB monster that gets updated twice a day?

[–] Supercharger@lemm.ee 32 points 1 year ago

Yes, and they constantly change how parts of the UI work, most often getting more in the way of efficient actual messaging... It's really bad.

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[–] alertsleeper@lemm.ee 48 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I wish someone discontinued Meta

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[–] Poob@lemmy.ca 46 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'll die before I install Facebook Messenger

[–] LoreleiSankTheShip@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago

Same. Just have to hold out until the EU makes all messaging apps cross+operable and then I'll be able to talk to everyone again.

[–] ninetynine@lemmy.film 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Careful. They could be listening.

[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I hope they are.

Hey Facebook, eat a bag of dicks!

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[–] Zuberi@lemmy.dbzer0.com 41 points 1 year ago (10 children)
[–] teawrecks@sopuli.xyz 24 points 1 year ago (26 children)
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[–] Jimbo@yiffit.net 29 points 1 year ago (6 children)

And they put a notification on your phone about it that you can't remove... this infuriates me more than it should

[–] Suppoze@beehaw.org 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You're right, I did not even notice the persistent notification! What a unnecessarily annoying move. This deserved an early bird uninstall for me...

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[–] agent_flounder@lemmy.one 28 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I swear my battery life improved after I uninstalled messenger for a while and got worse after reinstalling recently.

I wouldn't have installed it except I was in the process of getting back in touch with a few old friends. Was totally worth it for that.

[–] tiwenty@jlai.lu 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm on the same page. I would prefer not having those apps installed or even an account, but my friends are more worth to me than my IT ideals.

[–] WagesOf@artemis.camp 12 points 1 year ago (6 children)

It's too bad that your friendship isn't more important than ten minutes of inconvenience for them to install a different app or to give you their actual phone number.

[–] tiwenty@jlai.lu 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I find that you're making a lot of assumptions on my friendships based on my 4 lines comment.

I do chat with my friends via SMS or phone cause I indeed have their number. But you can't deny that SMS for group chats is pretty gruesome.

Based on that, everybody is used to those popular chat apps and have their other group chats on them. Why would I make them change when they work for what's intended? Privacy is the best argument, but they may not all care enough to not find it bothering. So I don't bother ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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[–] WashedOver@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've found the same thing with the IG and FB apps which is why I don't use them. I stick to the mobile web versions but they have made it difficult to message from the android mobile web without extra steps like desktop mode. Even then there can be missing functionality.

There was also an article earlier this year where they were purposely "testing" the apps that forcibly drained some user batteries quickly without a care for the actual users affected. Since I'm often using my phone for navigation in the woods I want as much battery life as possible please.

Anyways if it wasn't for older friends and family members I would no longer be using FB.

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[–] Deestan@beehaw.org 22 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This sucks.

Can't ditch it completely due to family, but got a few more contacts over on Signal after this announcement.

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[–] smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 1 year ago (13 children)

Why still use Facebook when we have the Internet?

[–] jarfil@beehaw.org 17 points 1 year ago

Old people are there, some we care about, some have passed away...

There are a few decent communities out there too. Not many, but a few.

[–] BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz 14 points 1 year ago

In many countries it's the default communication app

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[–] Unsustainable@lemmy.today 22 points 1 year ago (3 children)

You can use Beeper to replace all your communication apps. That way you only have to install one app, and you don't have to have Meta installed.

[–] Notnotmike@beehaw.org 12 points 1 year ago (4 children)

It sounds like a too good to be true situation. Definitely an interesting concept though. Sounds like they use remote servers to connect to the third-party apps using your credentials and then transcribe the messages using the Matrix protocol to the app. Source here and snippet below

Beeper consists of two main components:

  • A client app that runs on your devices.
  • A web service run by Beeper.

... Beeper’s web service consists of a Matrix homeserver and infrastructure to run open source bridges that connect to 15 different chat networks.

Currently free but also will be a Plus version eventually rolling out, according to the FAQ

For now, everyone has access to all the features of Beeper Plus for free. At some point in 2023, we will begin charging $5-10 per month for Beeper Plus.

Also, no humor is lost on the fact that it is dangerously close to Wuph from The Office...

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[–] smeeps@feddit.uk 9 points 1 year ago (14 children)

I signed up for this month's ago and I'm still not in. Every time I log into the app to check my waitlist, I'm some random number in the 3000s, and not always lower than last time. Why is this do you know?

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[–] archchan@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] TheLastOfHisName@beehaw.org 21 points 1 year ago (10 children)

I can't uninstall the Facebook app from my phone (not unless I use ADB), so it's disabled. I uninstalled Messenger. I pinned a post on my FB page that said if people needed to contact me they can email me or text me. I have posted about why folks should leave these platforms until I am blue in the face. If they want to make the switch, they will. If they want to reach out, they will.

Eventually, I want to get an unlocked phone, load a custom ROM, and tell the big platforms to fuck off. I resent how difficult they have made that, and I resent how complacent we have become because of it.

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[–] MystikIncarnate@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Here's an idea. Stop using FB.

I get it, your boomer parents/grandparents don't know how to use anything else... But you can show them. It's very similar and doesn't suck as much.

I understand this move from FB too... Rather than maintain two apps, that both do the same thing, just maintain one. However, without the ability to turn off all the bloat and crap in the one app to make it very similar to the other, I don't see that being viable for many, and I'm sure they don't let you do that, so, ha ha, get fucked.

Anyways, Facebook is a cancer.

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[–] lazylion_ca@lemmy.ca 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Or install an app called Metal.

It's a wrapper for the mobile webpage with all the intrusive permissions disabled by default.

[–] d3lta19@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I just looked for this app and it looks like it hasn't been updated since 2018. Am I wrong?

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[–] Neon_Dystopia@lemm.ee 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Just delete every meta/fb app. There are plenty of alternatives now. They will never love you.

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[–] JoshuaACasey@lemmynsfw.com 17 points 1 year ago

Better idea don't install messenger at all

[–] MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

Matrix with a facebook messenger bridge? I know just the one finnish instance that offers bridging (pikaviestin.fi), though. I host my own home server.

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[–] gamey@feddit.rocks 16 points 1 year ago

The main issue here is how aggressive Fuckbook is when it comes to the messager, since they started to hide it on mobile devices they fucked with every attempt to revive that functionality with a none Fuckbook apps till the creator gave up. They are bad enough with normal clients (most of those died for a reason) but somehow even worse when it comes to the messager!

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Users need to install regular Messenger app instead

No, they don't.

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[–] jet@hackertalks.com 12 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Would beeper be a better solution for you? Self-hosted beeper, and a matrix client on your phone.

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[–] DraagDunk@feddit.dk 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I have personally made a switch to Delta Chat, and will be e-mailing people from now on. I will be checking facebook occasionally, as I face the same issue as others in this thread: Facebook is the default communication tool in my country. However, I have told everyone I'm connected with, that I no longer have a mobile app for facebook communication on my phone, and will only respond swiftly og they use e-mail or SMS. Let's see how that goes.

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