The Messenger web app started replacing Facebook’s integrated Inbox earlier this week. Users from all parts of the world are reporting seeing the change, but the Menlo Park-based social media giant has yet to officially announce this addition. Regardless, the sheer volume of affected users suggests Facebook has started a global rollout. This is further evidenced by the fact that David Marcus, the company’s Vice President of Messaging Products is openly discussing the change with hundreds of users on Facebook.
In one of his Facebook comments, Marcus explained why the company decided to replace the old Messages interface with the Messenger web app. Facebook’s executive pointed out how Messenger boasts over a billion users worldwide, most of whom are frequently using the Messenger mobile app and are only occasionally accessing the web version of this communications solution. These same users were allegedly demanding a consistent experience across all platforms, which is the main reason behind Facebook’s decision to replace the Messages interface with its newer web app. Marcus also added how the web version of Messenger is much more robust and feature-filled than the old Inbox, adding how most people will likely get used to it in no time seeing how they’ve already been using it on their phones for years.
With that said, Marcus said he’s aware that there’s a minority of people who don’t want to use the web version of Messenger for a number of reasons, which is why he asked all of them to send feedback to Facebook. The company is apparently focused on two categories of feedback, the one pertaining to the appearance of the new platform, and the one related to the old Inbox interface. Regarding the latter, Marcus wants to hear feedback on features users lost with this change. Facebook’s executive promised that he and his team are listening to all user feedback and will continue to evolve their platform according to what the community wants. With that said, some users responding to his comments were still noticeably upset about losing the old Inbox. Naturally, negative feedback is something that can’t be completely avoided when one is running a service with over a billion users.
