When the Messenger app was initially released, it was virtually a text messaging application. But today, it has become a rather effective one capable of offering literally thousands of options that could keep one occupied for weeks.
However, not all users have been thrilled with these features and have deserted the new application to the new Messenger Lite.
In this article, I will explain how these two similar apps work, analyze the pros and cons of using it, and which one is better for you. let’s get started:
Facebook Messenger
It comes as an application you can use in your Facebook account inside your web browser or get FB Messenger as a standalone application on your Android device.
Messenger is a separate application developed to simplify communication. It is linked to Facebook in that it allows connecting with friends through messages or calls, voice calls, or videos.
How the Mobile Application Operates:
Those who rarely log into their Facebook profile use the Messenger tool to manage all their interactions. As expected, it functions like most other messaging programs and is seamlessly linked to the Facebook system.
Another thing that has been done well, or perhaps could be considered unique about Messenger, is the fact that it is strictly separated from the Facebook application and can only be accessed as a stand-alone app.
However, you must get the Messenger app directly from the Google Play or Apple App Store. When you start the app, you will be presented with some of Facebook’s regular graphical user interface.
Because of this familiarity, most new users get used to the app and unreservedly embrace it. It remains one of the easiest methods to begin conversations and to search your history, group conversations and friends in the application.
The integration between the mobile and web versions is quite good, and Facebook updates and chat histories are synchronized.
Although Messenger’s installation on your smartphone is not always smooth with no lags, it syncs with your smartphone’s operating system. This integration allows you to use Messenger to make video and voice calls, group conversations, and more.
How the online version works:
Upon logging in to Facebook through an internet browser, one’s contacts are displayed on the right-hand side of the desktop.
Any contact you click on initiates the Messenger window and the list of your threads. The message history is generated by clicking on the Messenger icon in the upper-right parts of the screen.
The conversation is organized from the last ones sent to the first ones, with the most recent ones at the top.
Briefly, the Messenger window is the only place they can type messages, but it is filled with other features. With it, you can send stickers, engage in games, exchange multimedia and documents, and, in fact, make and receive transfers.
The buttons located in the upper part of the windows allow voice calls if your computer has a microphone and speakers equipped or video calls via web camera
Messenger App Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
1- Easy to Use:
Free and an app for quick messaging are all that is needed, and the Messenger app is great. In it, there is no steep incline that one has to overcome, and you don’t need time to warm up before starting to chat.
The app is integrated into the platform’s chatting system, which means that messages do not have to pass through the mobile browser. This is far better than having to wait a few seconds for a text message to appear in the form of a chat head.
2- Messages, but Without Charge
While texting is highly valued, depending on one’s subscription plan, it can be very costly, especially when it comes to MMS messages. While Facebook Messenger gathers data, getting access to its tools will not cost a fortune.
3- Good for Collaboration
Files and links can be conveyed quickly and efficiently using the Messenger application. Many use it to communicate with co-workers since they telecommute or work at an office without a formal communication infrastructure.
Disadvantages:
1- Privacy Concerns
However, Messenger has some drawbacks, although it is very easy to use. Notably, they dispute Facebook’s policy of terms and conditions, which allowed Messenger to record audio clandestinely and even dial phone numbers.
2- Potential Diversion
If you’re overwhelmed by tasks that need immediate attention, Messenger can disrupt the quiet necessary to accomplish some work.
These are supported by the pop-up notifications that generate a loud beep sound when the chat head is displayed on the screen.
If they got more of these IMs, then perhaps it is better to return to regular text messaging, although you could theoretically mute them to keep the noise level down.
3- Empties Your Battery
As mentioned above, the app is designed to be open in the background of the mobile device, draining the battery fast. Besides that, it produces an audio notification whenever you receive messages, which also reduces the battery.
That is, when several friends communicate with you through the Messenger app in one day, your device will have a challenging time surviving. This may not be a big problem if one is used to having a phone charger with them all the time.
Facebook Messenger Lite
Not everyone seeks a messaging app with all the features and functions it can possibly muster. Thus, Facebook has developed an improved version of the Messenger Lite application, which contains only the basic messaging capabilities.
How It Works:
Messenger Lite features are constructed based on the structure of the primary application, but in this application, you can only share photographs, stickers, messages, and URLs with your Facebook friends.
Despite having extra features such as app extensions, automated messages, and stories, Messenger Lite’s main service is instant messaging.
It brings a straightforward interface that does not tempt the user with bells and whistles and, at the same time, does not demand much data, computation, and storage.
First, the Lite version is visually indistinguishable from the regular Messenger app. But rather than having several menus take up your screen, there are only three tabs on top of the application: Contacts, Messages, and Your Account.
When you opt for a new conversation thread or simply switch to an existing one, the button positioning resembles that in Messenger.
You can write text in the field of messaging, make calls during which you can leave voice messages, send files, use stickers, and take actions such as blocking or muting contacts. And that pretty much is all of what Messenger Lite is capable of.
How has Messenger Lite been proven to be different from the ordinary Messenger?
Even though Lite operates as a more basic platform than Messenger, and both serve virtually the same function, there are definite disparities.
1- Messaging:
When you ran Lite and go to ‘Messages’ you will see the latest conversations and active users section. Contrary to Messenger, Lite does not let you create new conversations or look for chats from the messages section.
If you want to join a group discussion, choose the plus sign at the bottom right of the screen.
2- Contacts:
The Contacts tab shows the names of Messenger users in your friend list. It allows you to find contacts and start immediate conversations with them by typing their names into the search bar located at the top of the page.
This process is more complex in the original Messenger as the app offers the ability to see profiles of connection and sort contacts by the letters
3- Account:
The most obvious change from the standard Messenger app is the Account tab in Messenger Lite. In fact, the tab is not coded and does not include a customizable username, options to change story settings, or a way to enter the secret message.
However, you can change between accounts, set up notifications and messages, view message requests, and deal with contact importing.
3- Chat Window:
Despite the differences in the app, the chat functions are much the same in both Lite and Messenger. Yet, received photos do not display in high resolution immediately, they do so upon a zoom in operation.
Some features are absent; for instance, the ‘Lite’ chat window does not provide access to Facebook games and extensions such as Gfycat or Spotify.
4- Size:
By design, Lite requires almost half the storage space of the standard Messenger on most portable devices. It also consumes less memory than larger programs.
5- Wi-Fi and Data:
Lite is a lighter version of the messaging platform, and this is because Lite lacks many of the features that are available in the traditional platform; therefore, it does not consume as much battery power and/or the internet bundle as the platform with complete features.
It works well on 2G networks and gives fairly dependable service in areas with slow and unpredictable wireless connections.
