Messenger

Facebook Home Isn’t a Stateside Hit on Launch Day — Here’s Why That Doesn’t Matter

Mike Isaac in Social on April 13 at 11:18 am PT

Hint: It’s all about the international markets.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the Facebook Home launch event.

Ten Minutes With Adam Mosseri, the Guy in Charge of Facebook Home

Mike Isaac in Social on April 4 at 4:11 pm PT

More background on Facebook’s major mobile announcement with the guy in charge of the project.

Facebook Partners With Carriers to Bring Cheaper Messaging Abroad

Mike Isaac in Social on February 25 at 12:16 am PT

In a new initiative, cheaper data access will be available for some international users of the social network.

News Byte

Days After Twitter’s Vine Launch, Facebook Adds In-App Video Capture

Mike Isaac in Social on January 28 at 1:17 pm PT

Not more than a handful of days after Twitter launched its Vine video-sharing app, Facebook updated its main iOS application on Monday, adding the ability to capture and add video from inside the app. While the timing is curious, it’s still a relatively incremental update; the Facebook Messenger app received voice message capabilities earlier this month, a feature that has also been added to the main Facebook app as of Monday.

Facebook’s Platform Policy Explanation Only Raises More Questions

Mike Isaac in Social on January 25 at 1:10 pm PT

Facebook posts an addendum to its policy for developers building on the platform. But how much is it really saying?

News Byte

Facebook Messenger Now Offers Free Phone Calls for U.S. iPhone Users

Mike Isaac in Social on January 16 at 1:42 pm PT

Pretty straightforward here: Facebook will now offer free voice calling for users of its Messenger app on the iPhone, as was first reported by The Verge and confirmed to AllThingsD by a Facebook spokesman. Data rates still apply over 3G and 4G, mind you, but Wi-Fi calling is free in the truest sense. The move comes after a string of updates for Messenger, including voice memo capabilities and the ability to use Messenger without having a Facebook account.

Facebook Messenger Finds Its Voice

Mike Isaac in Social on January 3 at 11:59 am PT

Facebook Messenger, now with voice capabilities, is the company’s key to continued growth.

Facebook Confirms Snapchat Competitor — Launching Poke iPhone App

Kara Swisher in Social on December 21, 2012 at 12:28 pm PT

Poking a popular rival, that is.

Facebook to Launch Its Own Snapchat Competitor App

Mike Isaac in Social on December 16, 2012 at 10:57 pm PT

Imitation, after all, is the sincerest form of flattery.

News Byte

Microsoft Killing the Messenger, Migrating Users to Skype

John Murrell in News on November 6, 2012 at 12:34 pm PT

Microsoft confirmed today that it will retire its Messenger service early next year after moving users to Skype, the Internet calling service it bought a year ago for $8.5 billion. Microsoft said the move will enable broader device support on all platforms for instant messaging, video calls and calls to landlines and mobiles.