It looks like Facebook wants to take over your default SMS app on your Android device. The social networking company recently announced that its Messenger app can now integrate with the SMS function on your Android smartphone, making it easier to stay in touch with the people you care about.
Available right now, you can send and receive SMS right from Facebook Messenger. This is an opt-in feature, which means that if you wish to use Facebook Messenger so you don’t have to switch between the two apps all the time, you must activate it in the Messenger app. To do so, tap on Settings on Messenger. Select “SMS” from the list and turn on “Default SMS app”.
Once activated, you can view and respond to your SMS conversations in Messenger. SMS will be indicated in purple and Messenger conversations will be in blue.
So why would users want to change their SMS app to Messenger? According to Facebook, not only does SMS on Facebook Messenger support all the usual messages like standard text, images, videos and audio, it also supports rich content like stickers, emojis and location sharing.
For those who are worried about security, Facebook clarifies that they do not store any data on their servers. All messages are sent and received via SMS and standard fee applies, while non-SMS messages on Messenger will continue to use data. Sorry iOS users, no thanks to the limitations on the operating system, this service is only available for Android users. The recipient however, can be on any other platforms.
(Source: Facebook)
