Facebook Launches “Messenger” App To Compete In Mobile Messaging Space

Today Facebook announced the release of Messenger, an app for mobile devices that allows for messaging to “friends and small groups.”  This app allows for messaging to both Facebook friends and phone contacts, something Google+’s Huddles doesn’t do.  Messenger acts as an extension of Facebook messages,  so you can view your full history of mobile messaging on the web and vice versa.

The groups feature may be the most utilized feature of this application; the ability to include both Facebook friends and contacts is a solid feature:

In addition to the groups, Messenger has some slick location integration.  If you choose to include your location, the folks in your group can view where you are on a map:

I have never liked the standard Facebook messaging for mobile, but Messenger is a surprising change for the better.  I typically group chat on mobile using Beluga, but after playing around with Messenger, I have determined that  I will be making the switch to the new Facebook app.

Download the application today to see what you think.  We also whipped up a QR code to send you right to the download link as the app is a bit hard to find currently in some app stores: