Facebook Blocks MessageMe Users From Its "Find Friends" Feature

MessageMe may be the new guy on the block, but it has been experienced phenomenal success since its launch. The app had launched a little over a week ago, and has already hit the number 2 position on iOS's Social Networking section. The app sees so much success, even in an over-saturated market of messaging apps, because its part of a social gaming company called LOLapps, which currently has over 50 million active users on Facebook.

MessageMe has become so successful in such a short amount of time that even Facebook has become threatened by it. In order to quell its growth, Facebook blocked MessageMe from accessing its social graph. Now users are unable to find their friends through Facebook's network, causing a setback to the rapidly growing messaging app. This move by Facebook has been speculated to have happened for three reasons.

First, it's speculated that Facebook cut off MessageMe's access to its social graph because MessageMe poses a serious threat to Facebook's own Messenger service. Facebook has been trying to make Messenger the top app for messaging. It has offered incentives, like adding free VoIP calling, and offering free/discounted data for the messaging app in select countries. The second reason is that Facebook believes MessageMe copies Messenger's core functionality, which violates Facebook's platform policy. The third reason is that MessageMe doesn't offer any reciprocal benefits to Facebook. Facebook wants MessageMe to allow users to share information back to it.

Being cut off from Facebook is a big setback, however MessageMe has enough support from LOLapps and its current users to be able to thrive on its own. MessageMe also isn't the only app to have been given the axe by Facebook. Many apps, like Twitter's Vine, have also been cut off by Facebook, but they still went on to experience great success. MessageMe's users aren't too worried about the apps future, and they're sure it will continue to thrive. Arjun Sethi, co-founder of the app, has stated that there will be more details on the issue on Tuesday.

[via TechCrunch]