Meta discontinues Messenger Lite for Android, it will be unavailable after Sep 18. Users need to install regular Messenger app instead

Suppoze@beehaw.org to Technology@beehaw.org – 496 points –

I have not found any news article on this on a whim. Because my friends and family, I need to use Facebook Messenger, and Messenger Lite was a OK client - lightweight, no unnecessary features, etc., compared to the regular Messenger app.

Now I'm a little torn, having a Meta app on my phone is already bad, but having to downgrade to the bloated Messenger app? Not sure I will make a change. What are your thoughts?

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You're still using their shit, just in a very inconvenient way. In fact, you're going to their site that contains targeted ads rather than using an ad free app. What a strange hill to die on.

I have exactly one group that insists on communicating this way. Which is why this isn't a big inconvenience for me. Your point is well taken, but doesn't really apply in my case. I'm not a user of the service, which is why it's so easy for me to refuse to install it, and hopefully I can use this to pressure the group to move to discord or some other means of communication. But if not I will continue to use the desktop site rather than install an app.

I'm in the exact same position as you and take the same approach. It's a hill I'm getting a mildly stubbed toe on.

I'd rather have a slight inconvenience of seeing their ads on their website for the few moments I'd need to send a message than having their spyware of an app tracking everything I do all day long.

Not only is that not possible on both Android and iPhone nowadays, that's a myth that's never been remotely proven.

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