Around mid-2015, we celebrated the opportunity to use Messenger without having to own a Facebook profile. Who did not want it, could only register to the communication network with a telephone number. The communicator thus confirmed his growing independence from the social network he broke off in 2011 and the growing importance.

However, the term "independence" should be taken with caution, as Messenger can be used directly on Facebook. He has always been and certainly will be part of Facebook - and now it's more than ever. Without making a clear reference to it, the possibility of registering a purely Messenger account via a telephone number has been canceled by the network operator. A few days ago, the community at Reddit pointed it out.

It is not possible without Facebook

I checked it on Messenger and Messenger Lite for Android. If you try to create a new account in these apps, you will be redirected to Facebook. Meanwhile, Messenger Lite claims that registration does not create a Facebook profile. This is obviously old information. The operator provides up-to-date information on the support site, where it stands black on white:

“Can I register with Messenger even if I don't have a Facebook account? No, you need to create a Facebook account to use Messenger. "

Why did the change happen? VentureBeat magazine told a company that it was a simplification. Most active users say they own a Facebook profile. We can speculate further. This may be related to the stagnation of its flagship product with the same name. The Blue Social Network is still growing, but is struggling with declining user activity. In 2019, Facebook also experienced a scandal with phone numbers, and is also preparing to unify its communication platforms.

If you do not like having a facebook profile, deactivate it. Deactivating Facebook does not lose the ability to communicate via Messenger. If you've only registered a Messenger account before, you don't need to do anything.