Meta to remove cross-app chatting between Messenger and Instagram

Meta just made a surprising announcement regarding cross-app communication between Messenger and Instagram. It seems that from mid-December we will no longer be able to chat with Facebook accounts on Instagram.

Additionally, Facebook accounts will no longer be able to see an Instagram user's activity status or whether a post has been viewed. This goes even further, as Meta announced that existing chats with Facebook accounts will not be transferred to the Facebook or Messenger inbox.

According to Meta, any existing chats on Instagram that someone had with Facebook accounts will become read-only, even if those accounts are removed from the chat. As a result, those who have an Instagram account will no longer be able to send new messages in these chats.

Initially revealed in 2019, the ability to chat between Messenger and Instagram users was made available to everyone a year later. Meta hasn't said anything about the reason for its decision to remove this feature, but it might have something to do with EU regulatory guidelines.

No exact date was provided for the removal of the cross-app chat feature, but it's sad to see it go. It's unlikely that Meta will replace the feature with an improved iteration, but one can only hope.