Facebook Message Requests Aim To Eliminate Phone Numbers

Facebook has announced something new that may make some folks a bit uncomfortable at first, the other folder is going away and a new feature is replacing it. The new feature is called Message Requests and is intended to make it easy to contact anyone without needing a phone number.

Facebook says that it wants Messenger to be the place where users can connect with anyone they need to reach just by knowing their name. Facebook has removed the Other Folder that used to be accessible from the web. With that, removal users can now accept or ignore new message requests without the requestor knowing you have read their message.

The new feature will route messages from people directly to your inbox if you are friends on Facebook, have their contact info in your phone and have that info synced, or have an existing open thread. Facebook says that everything else will now be a message request, except for spam.

The social network notes that while this may seem like a small change, it's a foundational development and more changes will be coming as Facebook aims to make it easier to contact people.

SOURCE: Facebook