Many of Facebook Inc NASDAQ:FB’s mobile users are annoyed with the company’s policy to force them to install a separate Messenger app if they want to keep chatting with their friends. But the iPhone users can work around this by using a simple trick. The social networking giant has started rolling out its Messenger app to Android and iOS devices.
How to use this simple trick to work around Facebook’s policy
It requires users to download the new standalone Messenger app. But what turns off most users is the list of things the app wants permission to access, raising serious privacy concerns. The new app requests access to your text messages, contacts, camera, microphone, location, and many more things. That’s why a lot of users have left negative reviews for the app in the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.
But what’s the trick? The iPhone users can send messages to their friends through Facebook NASDAQ:FB without actually installing the Messenger app. Here is what you have to do. When the standard Facebook app prompts you to download the Messenger app, hit the install button. While the app is still being installed, switch to the App Store and stop the installation process or delete the app. That’s it.
When you re-open the standard Facebook app, you’ll have the chat available in Messages, just like it was before Facebook NASDAQ:FB started forcing users to download the Messenger app. According to The Guardian, the trick works for now, but the social networking giant may update its app to remove the work around and better detect the Messenger app.
Other ways to escape the clutches of Facebook Messenger
Jailbreaking is another option for the iPhone users. It allows them to override some security protocols and install apps from stores outside the App Store, such as Cydia store. There is one more simple alternative that can work for users of both Android and iOS. You can escape the clutches of Facebook Messenger by using the Facebook NASDAQ:FB mobile website in your mobile browser. You can chat with your friends and access other features as well within a browser. Bookmark the link to the Facebook mobile site on your phone’s home screen for easy access.
