Facebook takes a big step in linking Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp

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Some Instagram users will now be able to message their friends on Messenger, without needing a Facebook account.
The move is the first step in Facebook’s plan to integrate Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, announced last year.

The effort could effectively cement Facebook’s dominance over the messaging market for years to come, and arguably make it harder to break up the company, which is facing anti-trust scrutiny in Washington. Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger each boast over 1 billion active monthly users.

The ability for Instagram and Messenger users to message or video chat with each other is currently being tested in select markets and will expand globally in the coming months. The company did not elaborate further at a media briefing, but it said people on Instagram will opt-in to the new experience. It began testing the functionality this summer but is now rolling it out more broadly.

The company declined to provide a timeline for when the same functionality would be available for WhatsApp.
Facebook (FB) first teased plans in March 2019 to intertwine its various services, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook. The idea was that people who only have WhatsApp accounts could message friends on Instagram or Messenger and vice versa, without having to download an app or switch between multiple apps to send messages. Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, and spun off Messenger into its own app in 2011.

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