Meta is shutting down the standalone Messenger website, messenger.com. It was the place where users could access Messenger chats on the web. According to an official help page, messenger.com will stop working in April. After that, users who try to access it will be redirected to facebook.com/messages to continue chatting on desktop.
This means Messenger will no longer exist as an independent website. Well, I think there was no reason to launch it as an independent website when users could access messages within Facebook’s website. But the idea was to allow users be in touch with their Facebook friends even if they had deactivated their account.
Facebook says chat history can be restored inside the app by entering a PIN. This is the same PIN that was created earlier for backups. If users do not remember it, they can reset it.
It is important to note that Meta shut down the standalone Messenger desktop apps a few months ago. At that time, users were already being pushed toward Facebook for messaging. Now the web version is also going away.
Messenger has gone through several changes over the years. It started in 2008 as Facebook Chat. In 2011, Facebook Messenger became a separate app. In 2014, Facebook even removed messaging from its main app and forced users to install Messenger.
Now the direction seems to be reversing.
Meta has not clearly explained the long-term strategy, but there are possible reasons. Maintaining a separate website, desktop apps, and mobile apps requires resources. By reducing platforms, Meta can cut costs and simplify development. It also brings more traffic back to Facebook, which helps the company keep users inside its main ecosystem.
Another possible reason is engagement tracking. When users message through Facebook, Meta can better integrate ads, recommendations, and other services across its platform.
This decision may also reflect usage trends. Many users now prefer mobile apps for messaging. The number of people using Messenger only through a web browser may have declined.
