Facebook’s really been working it with its chat client, considering that they’re also the people pulling the strings behind WhatsApp. After releasing web versions for both Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, the only thing missing is a completely independent desktop client like the one developed for Telegram. In the meantime, you can fill that slot with the launch of Messenger for Desktop, an unofficial desktop client to use Facebook chat on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

This is not a made-from-scratch build; for practical purposes it’s just an adaptation of the official web version that you can access from Messenger.com, and it keeps all the same features. In other words, you can chat with your Facebook contacts or groups, send photos, videos, and stickers, and make videocalls.

facebook messenger desktop An unofficial desktop client for Facebook Messenger

At the moment the first stable version of the tool lets you use a notifications system to alert you to new messages even if the program is minimized, although at the moment there’s no possibility to leave it running in the background to access from an icon in your tray.

The strange thing about all this is that until the beginning of 2014 there was indeed an official standalone client for Facebook chat that was shut down for reasons unknown. In the meantime, until Facebook says otherwise, it’s possible to download this alternative free tool on Windows as well as Mac or Linux.

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