# Social Media Chat Apps Facebook Messenger App is Due to be Relased as a Stand-Alone By Matt Ho | Published 2011-08-10 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/facebook-messenger-app References: [ubergizmo](http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/08/facebook-messenger-stand-alone-chat-app/) & [facebook](https://www.facebook.com/mobile/messenger) The one thing I wish I could do with [Facebook](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/community-chats) on my smartphone is to use the chat function and thankfully, that will soon be possible thanks to the Facebook Messenger App. Right now, checking Facebook only allows users to look at upcoming events, status updates and wall posts. Some people wish they could chat with their friends in case they're out and have no other way of reaching their contact. Thanks to the Facebook Messenger App, members of the social media site can now talk to friends who are logged in. [Group chats](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/spotify-group-messaging) are also possible if you want another person in on the conversation. It's a good idea because with items like BBM and [Whatsapp](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inapp-controls) becoming so popular among cell phone users, this could be a hit. The app will be free and it wouldn't matter what smartphone users have because communication would be possible among all platforms. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.1/10 - Popularity: 22% | Activity: 93% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Stand-alone Facebook Messenger App:** Creating a stand-alone Facebook Messenger app presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in the chat app market. - **Cross-platform Communication:** Enabling communication among all smartphone platforms opens up a disruptive innovation opportunity in the social media chat app space. - **Growing Popularity of Chat Apps:** The increasing popularity of chat apps like BBM and Whatsapp indicates a potential disruptive innovation opportunity for Facebook Messenger. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Social Media:** The release of a stand-alone Facebook Messenger app could disrupt the social media industry, providing a new way for users to communicate with their friends. - **Mobile Communication:** The cross-platform communication feature of the Facebook Messenger app presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the mobile communication industry. - **Chat App:** The growing popularity of chat apps creates a disruptive innovation opportunity for Facebook Messenger to tap into the chat app market. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Feature-Enabled Messenger Applications](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/featureenabled-messenger.md) - [Community-Focused Social Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/community-chats.md) - [Privacy-Focused Messenger Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/chat-lock.md) - [Mobile Messenger Updates](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/google-messages.md) - [Web-Based Image Messaging Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/snapchat-4.md) - [Integrated Bill Splitting Features](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bill-splitting-features.md) - [Cross-Platform Messaging Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nothing-chats.md) - [Interconnected Messaging Ecosystems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/interconnected-messaging-ecosystem.md) - [Internet-Free Messaging Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bitchat.md)