Facebook Messenger is much more than a convenient way to get in touch with your friends while you’re busy wasting time on Facebook, and has evolved into an important communication tool in its own right. We’ve known that Facebook has grand plans for the service, and have already seen some big improvements this year, like the arrival of mobile payments and video calls. The next major change for Messenger concerns how users access the service, giving them the ability to sign up without the need for a full Facebook account.

Starting in the US, Canada, Peru, and Venezuela, users can register for Facebook Messenger using only their phone number. After adding your name and a photo, you’ll be ready to go – no more info needed.

That said, Facebook is still encouraging users to properly link-up their Facebook accounts rather than creating a new one just for Messenger, but this still represents a great new option for first-timers. Hopefully we’ll be seeing availability increase soon, with support for this new sign-up option spreading to additional nations.

Source: Facebook