Facebook Messenger No Longer Requires a Facebook Account

Now you don't need Facebook account to use Messenger. You just need your phone number and you can login to Messenger. Some months it was the messenger.com now its the phone number. So, now you can say that the messenger is a standalone app.

According to the blog post, "If you’re in Canada, the United States, Peru or Venezuela, we are starting to roll out a new way for you to sign up for Messenger – without a Facebook account".

Now the login screen of the app shows "Not on Facebook?". If you choose that option, users can enter their name, phone number, and a photo to create a Messenger account. 

With this update, more people can enjoy all the features that are available on Messenger – including photos, videos, group chats, voice and video calling, stickers and more. All you need is a phone number.

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WhatsApp Rolling Out Free Voice Calling Feature

WhatsApp Free Voice Calling Feature

It looks like mobile messaging service WhatsApp has started rolling out the voice calling feature. Reddit user Pradnesh Patil (pradnesh07) posted some screenshots of WhatsApp's new voice calling features.

Pradnesh Patil (pradnesh07) used this feature on a Google Nexus 5 running Android 5.0.1 Lollipop in India. The user says after installing the new version, voice calling will not be activated for all users. Users will only be able to get the voice calling feature if someone who has it enabled calls them through WhatsApp similar to an invite system.

The calling feature is included in WhatsApp's new build (2.11.508) which is only available on WhatsApp's website. It is not available for download from the play store so you need to download the .apk file and install it in your mobile. The screenshots shows separate screens for dialing a voice call to WhatsApp contacts, call logs and ongoing calls.