{"id":338182,"date":"2017-04-13T00:00:33","date_gmt":"2017-04-12T16:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/techcrunch.com\/?p=1476045"},"modified":"2017-04-13T00:00:33","modified_gmt":"2017-04-12T16:00:33","slug":"facebook-messenger-hits-1-2-billion-monthly-users-up-from-1b-in-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/people.utm.my\/asmawisham\/facebook-messenger-hits-1-2-billion-monthly-users-up-from-1b-in-july\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook Messenger hits 1.2 billion monthly users, up from 1B in July"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Normally adding 200 million users in 8 months to a product that already has a billion would reduce the average engagement, but most apps don\u2019t have Facebook Messenger\u2019s network effect. Now with 1.2 billion monthly active users<\/a>, \u201cwe increased engagement massively in terms of number of messages sent per active user.\u00a0We had d<\/span>ouble-digit growth percentage-wise\u201d Facebook\u2019s head of Messenger David Marcus tells me.<\/p>\n

Despite its bots not living up to the hype, Messenger had another banner year. It grew just a bit slower, since last time it got from 800 million to 1 billion users in just six months. But Marcus says the chat app is transcending being where people \u201cfind their Facebook friends they don\u2019t have a phone number for.\u201d For some it\u2019s become \u201ca primary communications channel.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now it\u2019s working to become more than just the most popular SMS replacement in the Western world.<\/p>\n

One approach is copying what\u2019s working elsewhere. Marcus says the app\u2019s Snapchat Stories clone Messenger Day is off to a good start. \u201cUsage with teens is much higher\u201d than some might have expected, \u201cwhich is cool\u201d Marcus says. \u201cWe\u2019ve built a product that teens use on Messenger!\u201d It\u2019s very distributed. It\u2019s going reasonably well The participation rate is very good compared to our best Stories product\u201d he notes, alluding to Instagram Stories. Messenger Day has a big opportunity since its host app has twice as many people on it as 600 million-user Instagram.<\/p>\n

Messenger also launched copied Houseparty\u2019s split-screen group video chat. \u201cGroup video calling is becoming a big thing with teens especially with masks and effects because it\u2019s live\u201d Marcus notes.<\/p>\n

Now the question is how Messenger can make money via ads, not payments, without interrupting the experience. Marcus says structural changes to the app coming at F8 should provide it with new opportunities in this realm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\" Normally adding 200 million users in 8 months to a product that already has a billion would reduce the average engagement, but most apps don’t have Facebook Messenger’s network effect. Now with 1.2 billion monthly active users, “we increased engagement massively in terms of number of messages sent per active user.\u00a0We had double-digit growth percentage-wise&#8221… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a> <\/img><\/a>\n<\/div>\n

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