Meta to disable message interchange between Instagram and Facebook
Meta will remove the ability to message Facebook users from Instagram and vice versa (photo: Getty Images)
Meta Platforms is beginning the process of disabling the app-to-app chat feature that allowed users to send messages from Instagram to Facebook Messenger and vice versa, according to Engadget.
In 2020, Meta, then called Facebook, introduced a cross-platform integration that allowed Instagram and Facebook Messenger users to exchange messages directly. However, three years later, the company decided to change its course regarding this integration.
The official announcement from the developers says that starting from mid-December 2023, the function of organizing chats between Instagram and Facebook Messenger will be disabled. Users will no longer be able to start new text or voice conversations using their Instagram and Facebook Messenger accounts.
Existing chats will be saved, but will be read-only. In addition, users will not be able to see the status of their interlocutors on another social network.
The reasons for disabling the messaging function between Instagram and Facebook Messenger are not specified, but this decision is likely to be related to compliance with European Union legislation that requires compatibility between messaging platforms.
As part of this goal, Meta is also developing the Hidden Chats feature for WhatsApp Messenger.
We also wrote that Meta eliminated a Chinese bot farm that spread fake news about Ukraine.
