Can you have facebook messenger without a facebook account

Facebook Messenger is one of the most popular instant messaging platforms worldwide, with over 1.3 billion monthly active users.

While the decision to create a separate app initially drew criticism, it has since matured into one of the go-to services for communicating with friends and family.

The beauty of Facebook Messenger is that it works across multiple devices, and isn’t tied to your phone number like WhatsApp.

However, Facebook now forces you to sign up or log in when you download the Messenger app.

While it has allowed you to use Messenger without an account in the past, the option was removed in December 2019. The only way you can still use it account-free if you’ve previously had a Facebook account but now deleted it.

This is great news for those who cut ties with Facebook in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, but if you’ve never had it you’re out of luck. The old method of validating your phone number will not work.

Download the free Facebook Messenger app from the App Store or Google Play.
Sign in with the account information you used to use. While this doesn’t work on the social network, it will work here.
Add new contacts by entering their phone numbers – if their Facebook account is linked they’ll show up.

Also see: How to send a Facebook message without the Messenger app

Marie is Editor in Chief, managing and leading the consumer editorial team. When she's not devising content strategy and analysing data she is a regular contributor of reviews, tips and tricks.

Marie has been writing about tech for 15 years, our resident Xiaomi and Chinese tech expert and a follower of all upcoming phones. AKA Tech Advisor's Power Ranger, she is the go-to for charging tech.

Facebook feeds can often lead to an information overload. There are times when you may feel like you've had enough of posts on Facebook but you still might not be able to stop yourself from checking the social networking site multiple times a day. Maybe you are thinking of quitting Facebook altogether.

Then you think you want to keep in touch with certain people who aren't on any other platform. If you're wondering whether you can get rid of your Facebook account while still staying in touch with friends via Facebook Messenger, then the answer is yes. Follow these steps to do just that.:

Open Facebook's deactivate account page.
Ignore the photos of the people who will supposedly miss you and scroll to the bottom.
The last option says you can continue using Facebook Messenger even if you deactivate your account. Make sure this is not checked and just leave it as is.
Scroll down and hit Deactivate.

Now your Facebook account will be deactivated. All your Facebook data will be safe until you're ready to log in again.

Open Facebook Messenger on your smartphone or log in via the website on your PC. Your old Facebook credentials still work for this. You'll notice that you can continue chatting with all your friends.

That's how you can get rid of Facebook without losing any of your data and continue to keep in touch with your friends.

If you've deactivated your account and you use Messenger, it doesn't reactivate your Facebook account. Your friends will only be able to contact you via the Messenger app or the chat window in Facebook.

If you don't have a Facebook account yet and just want to use Messenger, follow these steps.

Download Facebook Messenger on iOS, Android, or Windows Phone.
Open the app and enter your phone number.
Tap Continue.
You'll get a code via SMS to confirm your number.
Once you've done that you can key in phone numbers of your friends and start messaging them.

For more tutorials, head to our How To section.

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