Facebook Wants to Kill Phone Numbers Forever

3 minute read

Our phones have evolved drastically over the past decade. They’ve gone from devices meant for simple texting and calling to full-blown computers that fit in our pockets That’s why David Marcus, Facebook’s head of Messenger, believes the way we communicate is also in need of an upgrade.

“And just like the flip phone is disappearing, old communication styles are disappearing too,” wrote Marcus in a blog post Thursday.

Marcus believes Facebook’s Messenger app, which now has 800 million users, will be the go-to chat platform of the future. Unlike with text messaging, you don’t need to know a person’s phone number in order to reach them on Messenger, Marcus argues. And it’s a more feature-rich platform than simple calling: you can use the app to send money, GIFs, stickers, voice clips, and your location in addition to sending text and multimedia.

Marcus’ post comes as Facebook is busy changing Messenger from a simple chat app to a full-blown platform. Facebook introduced “Messenger as a Platform” last year, an effort to attract outside developers to build new features for the service. The strategy is already bearing fruit: Messenger users can now interact with businesses to make purchases, chat with customer service representatives, and order rides through Uber.

This, Marcus believes, is a better user experience than launching different apps to achieve all of these tasks. “It is so much easier to do everything in one place that has the context of your last interactions, as well as your identity — no need to ever log in — rather than downloading apps that you’ll never use again and jumping around from one app to another,” he writes.

Facebook is also experimenting with artificial intelligence to make Messenger more attractive. The company is developing a virtual assistant called “M” that can complete tasks on your behalf. It’s still early days, and the AI gets help from human assistants. But Marcus writes the project is “going well” so far.

Read more: How to clean up your cluttered Facebook messages

 

Before the company started adding new features and capabilities to Messenger, Facebook users weren’t thrilled with the idea of downloading a separate app to send private messages to their friends. Shortly after Facebook broke Messenger broke off from its main app in 2014, it received one-star reviews in the App Store even though it was listed as the top free app.

Marcus’ post offers a window into what Facebook is planning to do with Messenger over the next 12 months. The company clearly views itself as a mobile platform, not just a social media app.

This Is What Your Facebook Profile Looked Like Over the Last 11 Years

The Original Facebook Group Page, 2004.
The Original Facebook Group Page, 2004. Before people realized how awesome pictures are.Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2005.
Facebook Profile Page, 2005. Back when Facebook looked a little bit like MySpace. Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page Facelift, 2005.
Facebook Profile Page Facelift, 2005. The "the" is finally dropped.Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2006.
Facebook Profile Page, 2006. You no longer need to be reminded "this is you" at the top of your profile page.Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2007.
Facebook Profile Page, 2007. Every profile update still had to begin with "is," forcing you to talk about yourself in the third person. Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2008.
Facebook Profile Page, 2008. The wall. Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2009.
Facebook Profile Page, 2009. It only took five years for Facebook to create easy-to-find privacy settings. Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2010.
Facebook Profile Page, 2010. Facebook starts to get pretty. Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2011.
Facebook Profile Page, 2011. Zuckerberg realizes that people love pictures, usually of animals.Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2012.
Facebook Profile Page, 2012. The timeline allows you (or your parents) to trace your life from birth to death.Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2013-2014.
Facebook Profile Page, 2013-2014. Facebook introduced a new app, Paper, on Monday.Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Profile Page, 2014-2015. Facebook updated both the newsfeed algorithm and the privacy settings.
Facebook Profile Page, 2014-2015. Facebook updated both the newsfeed algorithm and the privacy settings.Courtesy of Alex Fitzpatrick/Facebook

Facebook first introduced this idea in 2013 when it unveiled Facebook Home, an Android launcher that allowed users to access certain content without launching the app. Still, Home never saw widespread success. Now, with Messenger, Facebook is attempting to keep users engaged inside its apps in another way.

More Must-Reads From TIME

Contact us at letters@time.com