Messenger

It supports group chats, media sharing, reactions, and various interactive features like stickers and games.

Cons: Can feel cluttered with extra features, and privacy concerns are often mentioned.

Verdict: A convenient and feature-rich messaging app, especially useful if you’re already active on Facebook.

I hope no one forgot how Facebook virtually enforced this application upon mobile Facebook users. No amount of complaining and backlash would make them change their minds. I remember when the application had 1 star on the App Store. That was 2? 3? years ago. I checked it just now, and it's at a whopping 4.5 stars. Have we become complacent? I don't know if Facebook ever reversed that decision to enforce using Messenger on mobile.

For what it's worth, Messenger does have pretty good performance when using the application. There might have been a few bugs here and there, but I don't recall anything that severely destroyed the usability of this application. (After reading some other reviews on the App Store, it appears I may have been lucky with my experience; others had lots of issues.)

Now, the battery usage...oh, boy, the battery usage. I never realized just how much battery it was using in the background until I uninstalled it recently. My phone went from going down to 50% in a day without any usage to 90% in a day without any usage. We can see how much Messenger is pinging the servers to check for new messages. It's a real battery drain.

And remember, it's Facebook we're talking about here. They want your data, and desperately so. It's how they make most of their money. I'm glad I never connected my phone number to Messenger; Facebook would have made off with all my contacts. Well, who knows. They might even have it now, without my consent. Can't prove or disprove it, since the app is proprietary.

It bothers me how many people use Messenger because "everyone else is using it", and that includes my own circle of friends. Virtually all of them have a Facebook account. Speaking to a few of them revealed that some simply didn't care about their privacy. I don't like to say this, but Messenger may well be a manifestation of the ignorance and uncaring attitude of people with regards to technology: "if it works, I am happy. No need to worry about what's going on below what I can see."

So, to summarize:

PROS:

• Decent performance

CONS:

• Huge battery drain
• Privacy issues because Facebook
• (as far as I know) enforced usage of the application if you want to chat with others on mobile