The last year has been a strange journey for Facebook Messenger, and it has just gotten stranger. Today, Facebook announced that Messenger will no longer require a Facebook account to use.

“With Messenger, we’ve been focused on creating the best messaging experience possible by giving people a fun and easy way to connect and express themselves with friends and contacts,” said Facebook Software Engineer Louis Boval in a blog post. “If you’re in Canada, the United States, Peru or Venezuela, we are starting to roll out a new way for you to sign up for Messenger – without a Facebook account.”

The login screen for Messenger now includes a new option that says “Not on Facebook?” After choosing that option, users can enter their name, phone number, and a photo to create a Messenger account.

Boval notes that using a Facebook login still has its benefits, such as easy integration with your Facebook contacts, but the new accountless login feature will provide access to all of Messenger’s features.

“With this update, more people can enjoy all the features that are available on Messenger – including photos, videos, group chats, voice and video calling, stickers and more,” Boval said. “All you need is a phone number.”

“Why did you force us to install Messenger?”

Facebook did not make many friends when it first removed chat from its core app last year, forcing users to download Facebook Messenger if they wanted to keep sending messages through Facebook. In fact, the first question asked of CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the first “Q&A with Mark” session in November was “Why did you force us to install Messenger?”

With all of the new features being added to Messenger, such as in-app payments and video-calling, the answer to that question becomes a little more obvious, and with Facebook also turning Messenger into its own app platform, opening it up to people who are not social media fans has clear benefits for the company.

While many users held off installing Messenger in protest, most seem to have given in and discovered that the app is not all that bad. Earlier this month, Messenger reached over 1 billion total downloads on Google Play, rivalling some of the top apps of all time.

Photo by Robert Scoble