![Facebook Messenger on Apple Watch](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MpZ3FG2ApedU4q7yyPupWE-415-80.jpg)
Meta has some bad news for Apple Watch users: it's killing the Messenger app at the end of May. After that you'll still be able to receive notifications of new messages on your wrist, but you won't be able to respond to them.
I think this is a real shame, because since 2015 I've been using the app multiple times a day; messaging is one of the core strengths of the best smartwatches and cutting off access to Messenger is going to make me use the service a lot less.
Why is Meta killing off Facebook Messenger on Apple Watch?
Meta hasn't given an explanation; it simply said to Reviewgeek in a statement that "People can still receive Messenger notifications on their Apple Watch when paired, but starting at the end of May they will no longer be able to respond from their watch. But they can continue using Messenger on their iPhone, desktop and the web.”
I think the reason is pretty obvious, though: Meta hasn't found a way to monetise that small screen because Apple doesn't allow it.
It's interesting timing when Meta is simultaneously bringing WhatsApp to wearOS: it seems that the problem isn't the size of the device but the operating system and App Store it runs. And Apple's rules are at odds with Meta's business model: Apple prohibits trackers and has very strict policies on advertising. The rules are detailed in the App Store guidelines: ads "should not be included in extensions, App Clips, widgets, notifications, keyboards, watchOS apps, etc."
That means any Meta app for the Apple Watch has to deliver what I want and Meta doesn't: an ad-free, tracker-free experience.
It's interesting to compare Messenger on my Apple Watch to Meta's big apps, Instagram and Facebook, on my iPhone: both are increasingly stuffed with irrelevant content that gets in the way of the content I actually want to see, something I fear is only going to get worse after Meta's incredibly expensive metaverse bungling.
Upgrade to smarter living
Get the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products straight to your inbox.
To some extent, then, we've actually dodged a bullet here: it looks like Meta wanted to make Messenger worse, and when Apple said no Meta decided to throw this particular toy out of the pram. And while I understand Meta's thinking, I do think it's counterproductive: with Apple shifting an estimated 40 million Apple Watches, the move means Meta isn't offering any messaging option to many millions of users.
Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).
-
iPhone 17 slated for one massive camera upgrade which photographers will love
The question is, will it be too technical for non-photographers?
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Apple Vision Pro just got a load of new reasons to justify that cost
Some of the extra content coming sounds incredible
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Apple's iPad is now at a record-low price this Amazon Prime Day
If you've been waiting to pick up an Apple iPad, now might be the time to buy
By David Nield Published
-
Surprise new Apple HomePod mini arrives, and you can order it today
Apple has announced a new Apple HomePod mini
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Diver gets his Apple Watch back a year after losing it in the ocean – thanks to Find My
When technology works, it really works
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Forget Amazon Prime Day – MacBook Air now at lowest-ever price at Walmart
Apple silicon computing for less
By David Nield Published
-
iPhone 16 Pro could finally add something Android users have been enjoying for years
This is one rumour we can definitely get on board with
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
iPhone 16 "design changes" could impact Face ID on forthcoming handsets
No one's sure what it'll look like
By Max Freeman-Mills Published