Facebook Says People Respond 20 Percent Faster Using Messenger App

If you find yourself messaging people in high volume on Facebook and haven't yet downloaded the standalone Messenger app, now might be the time. The social network says people usually respond about 20 percent faster to messages when they have Messenger.

Facebook released the figure in a post yesterday titled " Get the Facts About Messenger." Since Facebook officially transitioned people to Messenger, disabling the messaging function in its regular mobile app, people have been freaking out about the app's permissions and privacy issues. The social network has published a number of posts attempting to calm people's fears and explain the rational, necessary features behind the app permissions.

Related: Why I'm Not Freaking Out Over Facebook's Messenger App (But I'm Not Downloading It, Either)

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In this most recent post, Facebook also tries to quiet concerns that Messenger is able to turn on a smartphone's camera and microphone whenever Facebook wants, recording the person's actions and conversations when the app isn't otherwise turned on. No, the app needs those permissions in order to allow a person to send pictures and voice messages directly form the app.

In general, the negative reaction to the app's permissions seem to be overblown. If anything, they illustrate how alarming some of the generic language used in app permissions on Android devices can be.

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Still, there's the inconvenience factor: Why ask people to download a separate app for something they were already able to do in Facebook's main mobile app? Facebook's answer: For faster responses. Well, that might be a good enough selling point -- for some people.

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