<p>It's not immediately obvious that the latest version of Facebook Messenger for iOS and Android is a Facebook app at all. Its name is Messenger, not Facebook Messenger, and its icons, text, and buttons have been graded a new shade of lighter, more vibrant blue. If not for the chat window's big Like button, you might mistake Messenger for yet another new app to let you send photos and stickers to friends. And that's kind of the point.</p><p>You might mistake Messenger for yet another new chat app that's kind of the point</p><p>This past spring, Facebook made it abundantly clear that it didn't intend to sit on the sidelines as messaging apps like WhatsApp gathered hundreds of millions of active users per month. Facebook Home, the company's most progressive piece of mobile software ever, elevated chatting with friends above everything else on your Android device. The latest version of Messenger for Android and iOS hopes to take this idea to the next level, because it doesn't want to feel like part of Facebook. Messenger wants to be something else entirely: a mobile to mobile messaging network like WhatsApp or Kik. The redesigned app begins testing with a random group of Android users today, and will come to everyone on iOS and Android "in the coming weeks."</p><p>The new Messenger has largely the same functionality as its predecessors, but features a brand new design meant to emphasize its distance from the main Facebook app. Most importantly, friends' avatars are now circular, and have a little badge on them if a friend is using the Messenger app. In other words, it's instantly clear if a friend you're chatting with is using Facebook Chat on the web, or has the Messenger app on their phone and will receive your chats instantly. This distinction is part of what makes apps like WhatsApp compelling. WhatsApp isn't hooked in to any social network, and there's no ambiguity about how you're chatting with a friend.</p><p><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2013/10/29/5041976/facebook-revamps-messenger-for-ios-and-android">Keep reading...</a></p><p>Read also:</p><p><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/facebook-reaffirms-commitment-to-android-with-new-messaging-test-7000022563/">Facebook reaffirms commitment to Android with new messaging test</a> (ZDNet)</p><p><a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/29/facebook-messenger-phone-number/">To Assimilate SMS, Facebook&#039;s Android Messenger Tries Letting You Reach ...</a> (TechCrunch)</p><p><a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57609807-93/facebooks-messenger-app-practical-is-the-new-sexy/">Facebook&#039;s Messenger app: Practical is the new sexy</a> (CNET)</p><p>Explore: <a href="http://news.google.com/news/more?ncl=dv4NZfyyE_801NMuFGDR2YUNehoaM&ned=us">21 additional articles.</a></p>