In the Android platform, there is only a handful of mobile apps that have breached the 1 billion mark. Most of the apps that have done so naturally come from Google (because it is Google and it owns Android), including familiar names such as Google Search, Gmail, YouTube, and Google Maps. The remaining names on the list are from Facebook -- the main Facebook app and WhatsApp.
Now, another Android app from Facebook has joined the club. The social media giant recently revealed that its Messenger app has has been downloaded more than 1 billion times on the Android platform.
It appears that Facebook's tactic of turning its Messenger app into an all around mobile communications Swiss knife is paying off. Indeed, Messenger is no longer just a regular messaging tool. It is also one that offers VOIP, voice calling, voice clips, peer to peer cash transfer capabilities, location sharing, and not to mention loads of third party integrations.
One can say that with the immense popularity of Messenger and WhatsApp, Facebook has virtually (or literally) taken over the world of mobile messaging. And the social media giant has even more plans for Messenger. As a matter of fact, Facebook is quietly integrating Messenger functionalities all over its pages. For instance, when a user graph searches for friends with common interests in music, Facebook provides a shortcut for that user to directly message those friend without having to visit their profiles. Even when it comes to birthdays of friends, Facebook now suggests to users to greet their friends Happy Birthday directly via Messenger instead of writing on their walls.
Related: How to deactivate Facebook Messenger
Only a few days ago, Facebook had made major changes to how its Messenger app handles location sharing, effectively laying the groundwork for better GPS driven location features in the near future. It seems that the company really is going full steam ahead in further improving the overall Messenger experience.
Messenger's road to 1 billion downloads was not particularly easy. When it was first introduced as a separate app, many users did not like the idea of having to download it again instead of having it built into the Facebook mobile app. It took some time, but users slowly came around. And with Messenger becoming an independent entity, Facebook was able to dedicate a team of developers to enhance it and build around it by adding new features and even third party integrations.
And look where it is now. Facebook Messenger now sits comfortably with the rest of the 1 billion club.
