Facebook has announced a new update for its Messenger app for Android. This new update will enable users to use the messaging service without having a Facebook account or even an email address.

The new update for the Messenger app will be rolled out in countries like India, Indonesia, Venezuela and South Africa in its first phase, while it will later be rolled out to other countries. All the app will ask for is the users’ name and number to use this service.
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Now this sounds very similar to the way WhatsApp functions and it will be the social networks first attempt to open its services to those who do not have a Facebook account. Facebook has also announced that it has partnered with all major carries and device manufacturers in India for the new Facebook Messenger.

Just recently did we hear that Facebook might be looking to buy WhatsApp, however it rather seems that the social network will now be competing with it. If so they have a long way to go as WhatsApp is already available on a bunch of platforms including S40 amongst other popular ones, while all Facebook has at the moment is Android.

WhatsApp today exists on almost all devices and a huge population is already using it as an affordable SMS and voice call replacement. It will be interesting to see how Facebook would compete with this globally popular instant messaging service.