Meta has officially announced the discontinuation of its standalone Messenger desktop applications for both Windows and Mac, with the shutdown set for December 15. After this date, users attempting to log in will find themselves redirected to the Facebook website to access Messenger.
To keep its user base informed, the company is rolling out in-app notifications that signal the beginning of this transition. A dedicated help page for Messenger outlines the timeline specifically for Mac users, granting them a 60-day grace period to continue using the application post-notification. Once this period concludes, access to the Mac Messenger app will be permanently revoked. The help page further encourages users to delete the application, stating, “We encourage you to delete the app since it will no longer be usable.” This strategic move to phase out the desktop clients was initially reported by AppleInsider.
In an effort to ease the transition, Meta is proactively alerting users ahead of the December deadline, allowing ample time to adjust to alternative access methods. For Windows users, the company recommends utilizing the Facebook desktop application as a suitable substitute. Meanwhile, users on both Windows and Mac platforms can also opt for the web interface available on the main Facebook site. This advance notice aims to familiarize users with these alternatives before the standalone apps are officially retired.
Preserving Your Chat History
To ensure that chat history remains intact during this transition, Meta advises users to enable secure storage and set up a Personal Identification Number (PIN). This precaution will allow chat logs to be accessible across all platforms once users migrate to the web-based version. Users can check their secure storage status by navigating through the application’s settings menu. The specific steps include selecting the settings icon, followed by “Privacy & safety,” then “End-to-end encrypted chats,” and finally “Message storage.” Here, they should confirm that the option to “Turn on secure storage” is activated.
This discontinuation aligns with a broader shift in Meta’s platform strategy, following last year’s introduction of a Progressive Web App (PWA) to replace the native Messenger application.
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