Facebook SMS Integration May Return

If you loved being able to message your Facebook friends without having to go through the site, you might have been bummed when Facebook SMS integration was pulled from Android phones almost three years ago.

The company did away with its Facebook Messenger App due to lack of interest on a broad scale. But now, thanks to a new application of which Android Police has obtained screenshots, it looks like you may once again be able to text your Facebook pals with the ease of opening up one phone or tablet app.

The Mysterious Messaging Application

Apparently, the mysterious app is a test application. Facebook has told The Verge it’s “testing the ability for people to easily bring all their conversations – from SMS and Messenger – to one place.” 

The app seems to bring a combination of functions and features, similar to those found in Google Hangouts, together to give users a simple way to send and receive SMS texts as well as Facebook messages.  

Facebook reps say that the test application will be an easy way to see SMS messages and respond to them, all in one place. Users will be able to identify in Messenger whether they want to access their SMS messages in the application, so that the messages they read frequently will be stored together.

Will Facebook Take Over How We Use SMS Messaging?

It appears that Facebook might want to take charge of how Android users read, send, and store their SMS messages. The company has recently launched support for its Android Messenger app that allows for multiple account integration. 

When Facebook first came out with its Messenger App in 2012, the social media giant said that it would not be possible for users to store texts or use the app’s features on the web version of its platform. However, this time, things might be different. Facebook hasn’t commented on whether or not the new Messaging App will come with the same restrictions, but we’re guessing that it might not – or at least that it will be more user friendly in terms of SMS integration, because the company will certainly want to take an aggressive stab at beating out Apple’s iMessage application that is already allowing seamless text coordination.

How Do You Get the New Messenger App?

Right now, select Android users are able to get the new Facebook Messenger App. To see if your device allows you to switch over to the new functionality of SMS integration, you can check for a “Change SMS App” option in Messenger’s settings. Facebook says that the feature is optional, so you absolutely don’t have to route all of your SMS messaging into this central location if you would rather not do so.