UPDATE: I added some additional info to the end of this post based on all of the great comments from users. Be sure to read all the way to the end.
Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of stink over the fact that Facebook is splitting its messaging functionality out into a new Facebook Messenger app.
Some fear-mongers have been spreading rumors that Facebook plans to use your camera and microphone to listen in on your private conversations, while Facebook has sent pretty clear messages that it has no intent to do so.
The result, however, has been quite a few conversations where friends and family have asked me whether they should avoid installing the Messenger app and whether there are options to open messages sent via Messenger without using the app. The quick answer is yes…and it’s a lot easier than you think.
TL;DR – For those who want the quick answer without having to read the entire post, you can read your Facebook Messenger messages by accessing Facebook through a browser, not the mobile app. Once you navigate to Facebook in your browser, you can open Messenger from within the Web view and read your messages. There is no special Messenger login that you need and there is no special Messenger login online. It’s just the standard Facebook.com interface.
Do We REALLY Think Facebook Is Spying On Us Using The Messenger App?
My response has been pretty simple. Even if it were true, and Facebook were spying…is your life really that interesting? If you’re concerned with Facebook listening in on your conversations, maybe you should rethink what activities you’re engaged in.
No…Facebook is not really interested in your rants during your kids soccer game.
Surprise…they don’t want to hear you use the terms “ping”, “strategize” and “leverage” in your corporate meetings.
It’s true…Facebook is not interested in any of your embarrassing bathroom noises while you play Candy Crush Saga on the toilet.
Believe it or not, Facebook does not care that you're playing Candy Crush Saga on the toilet. Click To TweetI hate to be the bearer of bad news, but installing the Messenger app isn’t going to place your privacy in any more risk than the already embarrassing photos and “woe is me” posts that you’re putting on Facebook yourself.
So calm down, don’t believe the fear-mongers….just relax.
Facebook Messenger Doesn’t Represent The End Of Our Personal Privacy
Installing Facebook Messenger is not the end of your privacy…unless we want it to be. You can still use the phone to call people. You can still text. You can still email.
If you choose not to use Facebook Messenger, great!
It’s one less communication channel that you need to check while you’re sitting at the stoplight holding everyone else up in line when the light turns green and you’re fixated on your phone.
{STOP THAT, PEOPLE!!}
But if you don’t believe me and you NEED your Facebook messages, yet are terrified that adding it to your phone will require you to wear a foil hat for the rest of your life so Facebook doesn’t steal your thoughts, then here are the instructions on how to get them.
NOTE: No…it’s not optimal. Yes, it’s kind of cludgy…but if you want the best experience, simply install the app and get over it.
Viewing Facebook Messages On Your Mobile Device Or Tablet Without Using The Facebook App
- Install Chrome on your device. If you are an Android user, it’s already on your phone.
- Open Chrome and navigate to http://www.facebook.com (don’t log in yet)
- Open the context menu within Chrome and check the box next to “Request Desktop Site”
- Reload the page and you should see the Facebook.com desktop site.
- Log in.
- Click the Messages link in the left nav under your profile photo to see your messages and respond to them.
Again, not the best user experience, but it gets you to your messages without ever having to bow to the privacy will of Facebook and their desire that you download their second, stand-alone Facebook Messenger app.
If you don't want to install the Messenger app, you can still view your Facebook messages on your mobile device. Click To TweetExcept for the fact that you basically gave away all privacy expectations when you “Agreed” to the Facebook terms of use by creating your account.
Oh yeah…that small detail.
I hope this helps. I also hope this post gets zero traffic because people aren’t silly enough to Google “how can I view my Facebook messages on my phone without installing the Messenger app”.
We’ll see….
Cheers!
–Sean
Update – I am astonished by the responses to this post…AND I apologize for being a snarky SOB.
Wow…just wow.
First, let me apologize to my readers for the high-level of snark in this post. I probably went a little overboard and if it offends folks, sorry. Not my intent.
Second, I cannot believe the traffic this post is generating.
What that means to me is there are lots of real, legitimate reasons that people want to view Facebook Messenger messages without installing the mobile app. If you read the comments below, you’ll see that my readers have (once again) done a great job chiming in and sharing their reasons.
Some of them include:
Privacy
Not wanting to give away all of your private information, although I don’t see how viewing the messages in the desktop version vs the mobile app makes any difference on that front. Facebook still has all your messages and can still read them, regardless of the platform.
Resources, mainly storage on your phone
This one is SUPER valid.
On my Samsung Galaxy, the Facebook Messenger app is a bloated whale on an app.
The current version of the app takes up 408 MB of storage. That’s nearly half a gig of storage for a single app.
By comparison, What’s App Messenger only takes up 19MB of storage and is a very similar type of messenger app. If you’re short on storage or your phone doesn’t allow you to move apps to your SD card, I can see why you would be unhappy with Messenger.
A loathe for chat applications
If you hate chat apps, then you should love the fact that Facebook split Messenger out, so you don’t have to install it. I completely get it.
Battery Life
Again, a very fair and valid point.
Now, instead of one app checking for Facebook messages, you have two. Two apps essentially performing a very similar function on a similar schedule could really impact your battery life.
The solution? Look at the settings for both the Facebook and Messenger apps and adjust how frequently the apps are searching for new messages or data.
Data Consumption
Not everyone has unlimited data on their mobile phone plan, I get it.
But in the single Facebook app that included Messenger, you didn’t have a choice as to whether you wanted to get messages on your phone or not. You either installed the Facebook app and got the messages, or you didn’t install the app and got nothing.
With the division of Facebook the app and Facebook Messenger, you can save data by choosing not to install the Messenger app. For those that want the best of both worlds, Facebook even included a “Data Saver” feature in Messenger to reduce the amount of data that the app uses by not automatically downloading images and videos.
To access the data saver feature, open Facebook Messenger and then click your profile photo. There should be a “Data Saver” menu item in the options that appear.
The Facebook Messenger App Crashes
It has gotten better, but at the beginning, Messenger was a hulking piece of $hit. I certainly expected more from Facebook (which I probably shouldn’t have). I feel like it’s a lot more stable, so maybe this has been worked out. That is, until they try to add more advertisements in š
So, there you have it. An apology and an update. Just like every other human blogger out there, I sometimes let my opinion and snark get in the way of the fact that my goal is to actually help folks navigate social media.
If my sarcasm got in the way of doing that, sorry. But keep the great comments coming. I can take the criticism, it’s okay š
Just to show you that I try not to take myself too seriously, here’s me with my foil hat. Yes, I understand that it will now live on the Internet forever.
Cheers!
–Sean
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I like how I’m browsing pages on one computer, not even logged in with a Facebook account or any personal account. My phone being physically close to the computer I’m using. And the next day, the ads a from the same pages show up on my Facebook page.
For example, I was browsing Philips products on a reseller’s page. And the next day, Philips ads show up on my Facebook news feed, first time ever!
This has happened a lot of times now.
I don’t even have the app ’cause I’m not addicted to chatting nor internet. But I definitely am skeptical of the spying. I also, in real life, invite strangers to my home. Same goes for the apps.
I just resent having to install two apps to use one single website so I’ve been using the browser to do both jobs. However as of Dec 2020 it no longer works and the desktop site throws up a broken link message when you try to view messages.
Iāve been using facebook for messaging for ages but now (dec.2020) few months after the design changes it stopped working everywhere except desktop computer and messenger app. Desktop view in a phone is just unusable. I was using it in the old blue style, mobile version, rest of the site in this view is working but only messages not, it says the ling has been removed. So I am supposed to be forced to use a phone with an app only to access messages. I can still use the old phone without messenger app to see everything on facebook or even see if I got a message, but I cannot read the message. Error. Thank you facebook. I will look for other ways to access messages or message people other ways on my āoldā sony ericsson Aino from 2009, which still works great. Unlike iphones or worse Android phones, which are not as reliable. I was happy co cone back to Sony ericsson year ago after ca.7 years of iphones. What a change! Can still access everything with a percents of data usage of an iphone and a days of battery lasting with the original battery! Thats a reason for me. Now they have to remake the messages in new style for mobile view, as it has been for years. Not to force people to use desktop view, desktop app or mobile app. But unluckily itās not in our hands so much
Yesterday I was could use facebook masseages in mobile view on the opera on the android) because chrome was opening store with messenger, fuuuu****k!). Today the icon from top panel was left!!! Still it is on the main menu named “Messages”, but when i click it opening site address /messages/ but there is info like: link is broken or page was deleted… NO, NO, NO! How to life now f**k, f**k!
(Post nr.2, first is above)
This is not obly about me and using over 10 years old phone, but itās also about many newer phones, including android and iphones, running older OS versions which do not support new versions of messenger app. And there are other reasons to access without messenger app, we are free to decide if we want the app or not. Or someone else, owner of the device, will not let the user install the app. And what about users using other than Android or iOS systems? Blackberry? Is everything outdated and do we have to throw the device every second year and buy new, this time not because or apple but because of facebook? I have an iPhone but I donāt want to use it and donāt want to use two phones. So I will have to keep it for times when I need a messenger on the way, outside of my laptop and switch the sim card to the iphone every time I feel I beed a messenger outside. Letās find another way to communicate, or I will just stick to old style calling and sms. Stupid.
*not ONLY about me
*because OF apple
*every time i feel a NEED
Typos on tiny qwerty is one reason I donāt like my iPhone so much anymore. Autocorrect will just switch it to very different word, and likely into different language.
Yesterday I was could use facebook masseages in mobile view on the opera on the android) because chrome was opening store with messenger, fuuuu****k!). Today the icon from top panel was left!!! Still it is on the main menu named āMessagesā, but when i click it opening site address /messages/ but there is info like: link is broken or page was deletedā¦ NO, NO, NO! How to life now f**k, f**k!
I receive messages from hundreds of profiles and try to reply everyone. But, since 2020.12.11, whenever I tried to open my FB-inbox – a pink note said, that, the page is currently unavailable. I’ve reported the problem to FB-team. Then, since 2020.12.17, the “Message” link has disappeared at all. I’ve reported that problem too. My phone is Nokia E50. I haven’t any computer. I can see “Messages” in other profiles and pages. But, it seems, if there is already some earlier convo – the chat opens to the above-mentioned pink note. If there is no convos yet – the chat opens to a texting-field. I’ve tried to send a text into one of those empty-chat profiles. So, I’ve typed the text and pressed “Send”. After that, the usual pink note showed up. I don’t know whether the text has been sent to the person. It’s 2020.12.24 today, and the “Message” link is still not existent in my profile, at least in my device. Notifications-system is poor. So, PMing seems to be a much better option for convos than commenting is. Alas, PMing is unavailable to me now. Messenger doesn’t install into my phone. FB is weird for leaving the PMing option only to desktops…
The messenger ‘Active Contacts” icon is always in my way when I’m o n Facebook. Do I have to uninstall Messenger to get rid of it?
Thanks!
You can use Safari by going into Safari options and enabling “Request Desktop Website.” Then go to facebook.com You should be able to message now without downloading the facebook app.
Not fear mongering here but I donāt really feel that this is a very transparent article. Either you havenāt done the research or you are just here to clear facebookās name, keep users using and keep others from questioning. I think itās important to inform others of facebooks data mining and how they use our individual data. Not to mention censorship with certain individuals under the guise of ākeeping the community safeā. You point out things like āno one cares about your rants during your kids soccer gameā and fear mongers spreading ārumorsā. Using these two extreme examples to make your argument leaves no room to discuss the problematic things Facebook has done and continues to do. This is a bit biased if you asked me. However, I would still like to be able to access fb desktop on my mobile.. just feels convenient for me. Now why would Facebook want to remove that option from me and many others? Other than the fact that they just want to get everyone to use their app. It begs the question, what else? It may not be as sinister as some may think but the documentary Social Dilemma as well as the doc Surveillance Capitalism really puts things into perspective.
Two reasons I will not install messenger, ever:
1) it whines about access to my address book every time I open it. Thanks, but no thanks. I communicate with my Facebook friends using Facebook messages, nobody else.
2) it asks permission to show notifications WITH SOUND every time I open it. No messaging application makes sound on my phone. Not even sms. I decide when I want to see if someone has sent me a message, Iām not the phoneās slave.
I got tired of refusing these two on a daily basis. Who decides how I use my phone? Me or Facebook?