Since Facebook removed the ability to send messages to your friends from within the Facebook app, creating a separate one just for this purpose, you may find that you can’t send Facebook messages on your device.
If you’re using an iPad and want to send Facebook messages, you may find that the messenger button is still there in the app, but it doesn’t take you to the messenger screen anymore.
You have to install the Facebook Messenger app on your iPad to go to the separate app and send messages. Otherwise, you’ll be prompted to download the app, though this doesn’t always work.
Once you download Facebook Messenger, the messenger button from the main Facebook app should launch messenger app automatically.
The first time you load it, you’ll be prompted to answer several questions including your login credentials if you’ve not connected the iPad to Facebook. This only happens the first time you launch the app.
Other information that may be requested of you includes your phone number, access to your contact book and ability to send notifications. You can decline to give it your number or access to your contacts, because they want as much information on you as possible. However, you don’t have to give such details up, but you can message your Facebook friends.
The app also works just fine if you don’t turn on notifications, though if you’re a regular Facebook messages user, this can be a helpful feature.
Why Facebook Messenger is separate from Facebook App
Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg says the separate app is meant to create a better experience for its customers. Maybe they wanted to streamline Messenger as an independent app, hoping that people would prefer it over sending text messages, and become more dependent on it and Facebook as a whole.
Splitting the two apps isn’t a better experience for many people, considering the younger generation uses other platforms, which Facebook hoped to win back by creating a streamlined messaging service.
What to do when you can’t send Facebook messages on iPad
Use a third party app
If you don’t want to download Facebook Messenger and use two different Facebook apps, you can use a different alternative that works with Facebook and includes support for both apps in one. Some let you upload photos, read your favorite group posts and browse your newsfeed.
If you’re not comfortable using a third party app to manage your Facebook profile and messages in one platform, you’ll then have to use the split Facebook and Facebook Messenger apps.
Elsie is a tech writer with 8+ years professional experience. For Tech News Watch, she brings rich experience contributing to topics such as Windows, MacOS, Android, and iOS among others. In her spare time, she loves checking out the latest tech trends, gadgets, and news, listening to music and cars.
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