It pledged to 'kill off the phone number' as the product attracts even more users.  

'The Messenger team's mission is to make Messenger the best place to communicate with all the people and businesses in the world,' Facebook head of messaging products Dave Marcus said in an online post.

'I'm happy to report that we've made a good step in that direction, and toward the end of 2015, we crossed the milestone of 800 million people using Messenger every month.' 

He maintained that while the number was impressive, it was still 'early days' for Messenger.

'SMS and texting came to the fore in the time of flip phones. 

'Now, many of us can do so much more on our phones; we went from just making phone calls and sending basic text-only messages to having computers in our pockets. 

'And just like the flip phone is disappearing, old communication styles are disappearing too. 

'With Messenger, we offer all the things that made texting so popular, but also so much more. 

'Yes, you can send text messages, but you can also send stickers, photos, videos, voice clips, GIFs, your location, and money to people. 

'You can make video and voice calls while at the same time not needing to know someone’s phone number. 

'You don’t need to have a Facebook account to use Messenger anymore, and it’s also a cross platform experience - so you can pick up where you left off whether you’re on a desktop computer, a tablet, or your phone.'

Improvements to the smartphone messaging application last year included ramping up speed, making it easier to send photos, adding video calling, letting businesses use it for customer service and adding the ability to send money to friends.

Facebook also began testing on weaving its 'M' digital virtual assistant into Messenger. 

The test of enhancing Messenger with artificial intelligence is 'going well,' according to Marcus. 

Facebook last month announced an alliance with Uber that lets people in the United States summon cars from the ride-sharing service using the Messenger application.

The partnership was a major move for both California firms, further expanding Facebook's stand-alone messaging service beyond simply communicating and putting Uber in touch with a huge user base.

Uber was described as the first partner in the launch of 'transportation on Messenger,' leaving the door open to add Uber rivals as options for users of the smartphone messaging service.

'You can expect us to keep trying new things, too,' Marcus said.

'There will be more innovative developments to come from Messenger this year.' 

Plans for this year include doing more to enable businesses and services to connect with people using Messenger, according to Facebook.

Messenger is working with players in e-commerce, travel, aviation and other industries to test modes of interacting with people on the service, Marcus told AFP in an interview here.

He said that people appreciate being able to easily interact with companies in conversational manners on Messenger.

Messenger is also keen to play a role in e-commerce globally, considering it a natural fit for the service but noting that international payments systems face 'complications.'

The ability of one person to send money to another using Messenger, however, is being developed country-by-country and will take 'a little time,' according to Marcus.

(dailymail.co.uk)