Facebook Wants The Phone Number To Disappear

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When Facebook says they want the phone number to disappear, what the company is really saying is that they just want you to use Messenger for everything. Personally, I'm not buying into this idea of using Messenger for all my communications needs. Are you?

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.
 
B00nie said:
WTH is messenger anyway?
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Facebook has a chat protocol built in. They split it out and have been (agressivly) adding tons and tons of features to it over the last few years.

There was a backlash that they split it into a separate App; but it does make sense when you see how they're expanding what it can do.

On 'replace phone numbers'

IRC replaced phone numbers. Then ICQ. Then AOL Instant Messenger, then..

The biggies today I'd guess are Google, Apple, and Facebook.

Apple just outright ignores SMS/MMS and uses iChat; which has historically has lots of interop problems (years before you could do group text with IOS users when you were not on IOS?).

Facebook just ignores the phone number completely and offer platform agnosticism.

I personally like Googles approach the best though; merge SMS/Phone with gchat fairly cleanly; and if you use gvoice you can use your phone number from gmail/etc seamlessly within the browser. Does have more of a learnign curve though; my mom *hates* it.
 
But.....wait.....isnt part of this having a PHONE, a smart phone.....in order for messenger to be useful.....

Make Facebook go away.
 
Worminater said:
IRC replaced phone numbers. Then ICQ. Then AOL Instant Messenger, then..
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The mobile phone address book replaced phone numbers. IRC, ICQ, AOL etc. are all just a drop in a bucket. They don't have full coverage and neither does Facebook, Google etc. I'm not on them and I surely pray many others aren't there either. Or humanity is doomed.
 
Nothing replaced phone numbers whatsoever. Most of us have cellphones now right? If anything the phone number is more portable and more convenient than ever.
 
B00nie said:
The mobile phone address book replaced phone numbers. IRC, ICQ, AOL etc. are all just a drop in a bucket. They don't have full coverage and neither does Facebook, Google etc. I'm not on them and I surely pray many others aren't there either. Or humanity is doomed.
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Humanity is doomed :) Ha. I talk to my wife and most of my friends via gchat because we just kind of shifted there over time. It doesn't 'replace' sms; but it's just ~better so when she needs to send me a grocery list or ask a quick question; it just tends to be wherever is most convenient; currently usually hangouts.

Previously; I used AIM for most communication (or irc; individual dependent. IRC is still my favorite. HipChat is making inroads for me though).
 
I've been wishing for the death of random phone 10-digit phone numbers for years. They're a needless holdover from the telecom days. I'm not sure I want Facebook leading that charge, but someone has to get the ball rolling.
 
This will never happen. Even if things to 100% text. The problem is a single point of contact. I look at how I have talked with people. Back in college around 2000 I had msn messengers and aim. Then after awhile I left aim and a few years later was using live messenger and yahoo. Yahoo later was replaced with skype. Now I only use Skype. Others have done similar things adding in something like google's chat program. Looking at social media itself you see people change what they use and how they use it. Myspace was big then died off. Twitter, tumblr, Instagram and other sites have taken away some of the steam from facebook. Younger generations now use snapchat instead of texting or facebook. Everything is in a constant flux and always will be. The one thing that has been constant is your phone number. If I have a cell phone I can take that number from one company to another, from one phone to another. So if I go from one service to another to another there is still the one way for people to always get ahold of me. That will never happen with an online service, for this to happen everyone world wide would have to use a single system and only that system. Not everyone uses facebook, not all countries use facebook, and one day (while it might be down the road) nobody will use facebook. So I am willing to say that we will never have a system to replace telephone numbers that is global enough to be the replacement for all methods of communications.
 
Exavior said:
This will never happen. Even if things to 100% text. The problem is a single point of contact. I look at how I have talked with people. Back in college around 2000 I had msn messengers and aim. Then after awhile I left aim and a few years later was using live messenger and yahoo. Yahoo later was replaced with skype. Now I only use Skype. Others have done similar things adding in something like google's chat program. Looking at social media itself you see people change what they use and how they use it. Myspace was big then died off. Twitter, tumblr, Instagram and other sites have taken away some of the steam from facebook. Younger generations now use snapchat instead of texting or facebook. Everything is in a constant flux and always will be. The one thing that has been constant is your phone number. If I have a cell phone I can take that number from one company to another, from one phone to another. So if I go from one service to another to another there is still the one way for people to always get ahold of me. That will never happen with an online service, for this to happen everyone world wide would have to use a single system and only that system. Not everyone uses facebook, not all countries use facebook, and one day (while it might be down the road) nobody will use facebook. So I am willing to say that we will never have a system to replace telephone numbers that is global enough to be the replacement for all methods of communications.
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My thoughts exactly, you nailed it. The only change I would make (while it might be down the road) would be, I hope it happens much quicker. Facebook is trying to become a part and parcel of the government, along with Google. Apple is slowing their roll and not giving in, yet. We just don't need that.
 
I have multiple e-mail addresses that pre-date my cell phone number (1998) and have been a steady way to contact me the whole time. I don't see how an electronic identifier is any worse than a random 10 digit number with roots in a dying industry (pure telecom).
 
I think the current phone system is pointlessly inefficient and big waste of resources. But replacing it with Facebook is probably the last thing we really want. Why would we want one private company to have so much power? What we need is a interoptable global standard and we're miles away from that, I figure that will happen 10 years after everything anyone who ever want a messaging system to do has become utterly boring. That or private corporations screw everyone so badly we work together just to spite them.
 
I rarely make phone calls from my cel. Either use skype, watsapp or googletalk.
 
Quix said:
I think the current phone system is pointlessly inefficient and big waste of resources. But replacing it with Facebook is probably the last thing we really want. Why would we want one private company to have so much power? What we need is a interoptable global standard and we're miles away from that, I figure that will happen 10 years after everything anyone who ever want a messaging system to do has become utterly boring. That or private corporations screw everyone so badly we work together just to spite them.
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Absolutely right. lets have Google do it, no Microsoft, no wait, Apple... twitter?, watsapp?
 
I refuse to install that pos on my mobile.. they just want you to use it so that can gather information about people..
 
revenant said:
I refuse to install that pos on my mobile.. they just want you to use it so that can gather information about people..
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Certainly, why go against the NSA and its exclusivity to monitor all your phone calls :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
The thing is, if Apple said it, a lot of people (not here on [H[, we're not Sheeple), would say "OMG REVOLUTIONARY!" "Apple does it again, genius!"
 
If the phone number goes away how do people get in contact with me when I'm away from wifi? Or is data going to be come cheaper than minutes?
 
I do feel it is time for the phone number "metaphor" to go the way of the dodo bird.

But Facebook? As if!

Maybe some sort of block of IP4/6 assigned to people + some sort of way to create names (Like a new DNS).

Using that, I could choose the way I want to reach someone, or how someone can reach me.

Oh and off course I could choose my levels of privacy, and who could reach me.

Yes, I am dreaming.
 
If FB wants the phone# to disappear, why the fuck do they keep asking for mine?
 
MikeRotch said:
The thing is, if Apple said it, a lot of people (not here on [H[, we're not Sheeple), would say "OMG REVOLUTIONARY!" "Apple does it again, genius!"
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No, I'd have the same or an even worse reaction.

As much as I hate (and will never use) Facebook, at least it runs on multiple platforms.
Apple's walled garden approach is even worse, and I'll never use an Apple product.
 
SpeedyVV said:
I do feel it is time for the phone number "metaphor" to go the way of the dodo bird.

But Facebook? As if!

Maybe some sort of block of IP4/6 assigned to people + some sort of way to create names (Like a new DNS).

Using that, I could choose the way I want to reach someone, or how someone can reach me.

Oh and off course I could choose my levels of privacy, and who could reach me.

Yes, I am dreaming.
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Somebody doesn't understand networking
 
Hahahahaha.... this is a given. Of course they want you to use their product over another. This is nothing new.
 
I can't wait for ten years from now when smartphones are no longer a common thing and people go back to simple phones.
 
I can see Facebook now if they're the only telecoms company - this is the Facebook operator please deposit $50 for the next five minutes of call time.
 
Exavior said:
Somebody doesn't understand networking
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Off course not. Having been a consultant to AT&T, Lucent, Ericsson, Nortel, Mitel, and lead telecom architect for some of the largest call centres, my good looks saved my bacon everytime.
 
Worminater said:
Humanity is doomed :) Ha. I talk to my wife and most of my friends via gchat because we just kind of shifted there over time. It doesn't 'replace' sms; but it's just ~better so when she needs to send me a grocery list or ask a quick question; it just tends to be wherever is most convenient; currently usually hangouts.

Previously; I used AIM for most communication (or irc; individual dependent. IRC is still my favorite. HipChat is making inroads for me though).
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Question: What makes you feel compelled to sell (for a grand price of nothing none the less) your entire life details to a company called Facebook?
 
that's funny considering they keep asking me to add my phone number to messenger on my phone.
 
I hate Messenger with a fiery passion. And I really dislike Facebook all the same. Just nothing but a drama device.
I don't like how I can't control it on my own device to turn off so I don't get blasted with messages from people when I am checking something on Facebook.
People have abused it for me in the past, especially my brothers who send me messages that my mother is dying ON FUCKING FACEBOOK than calling me.
If it wasn't "so important" for a side business I help run, I'd deactivate that shit and be done with it
 
SpeedyVV said:
Off course not. Having been a consultant to AT&T, Lucent, Ericsson, Nortel, Mitel, and lead telecom architect for some of the largest call centres, my good looks saved my bacon everytime.
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TDM network and IP network's aren't the same. You route calls in a different manor than you route an IP.

Your statement was that everyone should be given a block of IPs that magically follow them around along with a new DNS method.

Based on your comment you want something like you are given the block of IPs 5.5.5.0 - 5.5.5.8. you give 5.5.5.1 to your cell phone, 5.5.5.2 to your laptop. You then give the name John.Smith.Cell to cell phone, John.Smith.PC to your desktop. If somebody wants to reach your cell phone they just send voice messages or text messages to John.Smith.Cell. If they want to message you or send you a file they sent it to John.Smith.PC

No matter where you go on any network your phone is always 5.5.5.1, your laptop is always 5.5.5.2. So you go to work, you still have the same IPs. You go to a public hotspot, you have the same IPs. You go visit a friend you have the same IPs...

You are overlooking that you have to route to IPs based on network. If your home network is 192.168.0.1/255.255.255.0 you can't set 1 device to be 10.0.0.25 and expect it to be able to route out of your home network and to the rest of the world as there is no route for this. Just like if your public range is 12.50.50.0/255.255.255.0 you can't set an IP in there of 100.27.1.13 and expect something to know to route to that 12. network instead of whatever network that 100. address goes to.

You can port phone numbers all day, you can't port IP addresses and take that with you.

And that is of course ignoring the fact that you expect a global master system to somehow deal with ACS list for these IPs so that you have full control over which global IPs can and can not talk to your IPs as you move all over the world.

What you are talking about is a complete replacement of how TCP/IP works.

So, given that I made the comment that I did.
 
DPI said:
If FB wants the phone# to disappear, why the fuck do they keep asking for mine?
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Exactly. They have asked for my phone number to verify my account, even though my e-mail is confirmed. A bit annoying.
 
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