Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Messenger

60
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Messenger continues to be a widely used communication tool, praised for its clear calls and customization, but recent updates have introduced numerous bugs, performance issues, and frustrating identity verification problems.

4.7★ lifetime (12,970,686) Free + in-app purchases since 2011 by Meta Platforms, Inc. updated 0.1 mo ago recent negative 30% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Bugs & Glitches Performance Issues Call Quality Identity Verification Data & Privacy Concerns
5★566
4★66
3★67
2★48
1★253
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.7★ lifetime average

Messenger is a popular app for connecting with friends and family, offering features like video calls and customizable chat backgrounds R6R7. However, recent user reviews highlight significant issues including missing notifications, audio problems, app crashes, and persistent identity verification demands R2R23R46R160. Despite developer claims of fixes, users still report these problems.

What users like

  • Provides clear audio and video calls, especially for long-distance communicationR6R10R13R43
  • Allows for customization of chat backgrounds and emojisR7
  • Effective for staying in touch with friends, family, and businessesR25R28R52

What users complain about

  • Frequent bugs and glitches, including messages disappearing, delayed notifications, and app crashesR2R42R46R84
  • Persistent issues with audio not working or being glitchy during callsR23R24R53R539
  • Users are repeatedly locked out and forced to confirm identity, often without success or explanationR16R108R152R160
  • Performance problems like lagging, slow loading, and auto-logout issuesR40R50R118R162
  • Draft messages frequently disappear before being sentR323R382R440
  • Notifications are often incorrect, showing unread messages when there are none or duplicating alertsR51R84R161R211
  • Video call quality can be poor or calls fail to connectR178R191R559

Latest update · v569.0.0

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

We update our app regularly to make it even better for you to easily connect to the people that matter. Update to the latest version to get all the new features and improvements. This release includes: - Fixes for crashes within messaging experiences - Performance improvements to remove latency in some of our core experiences - iOS 26 support Have a question? Tap Help in the Messenger app or visit [facebook.com/help/messenger-app]

Recurring themes

Bugs & Glitches negative
Many users report a wide array of bugs including messages disappearing, delayed or incorrect notifications, app crashes, and general instability. This contradicts the developer's notes claiming 'fixes for crashes within messaging experiences' and 'performance improvements'.R2R42R46R84
Performance Issues negative
Users experience lagging, slow message loading, auto-logouts, and general unresponsiveness. This directly contradicts the developer's notes about 'performance improvements to remove latency'.R40R50R118R162
Call Quality mixed
While some users praise the clear audio and video quality for calls, especially long-distance, others report significant issues with audio not working, breaking up, or calls failing to connect.R6R10R13R23
Identity Verification negative
A recurring frustration is being locked out of accounts and repeatedly asked to confirm identity, often without success or clear reasons, even for long-standing accounts.R16R108R152R160
Data & Privacy Concerns negative
Some users express concerns about Meta apps consuming and stealing data, and the presence of AI bots.R21R39R127

Who it's for

Messenger is for individuals who prioritize connecting with friends and family through a widely adopted platform, especially for video and audio calls R6R13. It's also suitable for those who appreciate customizable chat features R7. It may not be for users who are concerned about data privacy, or who require a highly stable and bug-free messaging experience, as recent reviews indicate significant issues R21R46.

Evidence note: The recent reviews show a strong negative trend, particularly regarding bugs, performance, and identity verification, despite the lifetime rating being high. The developer's release notes claim fixes for crashes and performance, but recent user feedback directly contradicts these claims, suggesting the issues persist or new ones have emerged. The sample skews negative, so the score reflects the recent user experience more heavily while acknowledging the historical positive sentiment.

Frequently asked

Are there issues with Messenger notifications?
Yes, many users report problems with notifications, including missing alerts, delayed messages, incorrect unread counts, and duplicate notifications R2R51R84R161.
Does Messenger have problems with identity verification?
Yes, a significant number of users report being repeatedly locked out of their accounts and forced to confirm their identity, often unsuccessfully, even after having their accounts for many years R16R108R152R160.
Is Messenger good for calls?
Messenger offers clear audio and video calls for some users, particularly for long-distance communication R6R10R13R43, but others experience frequent audio glitches, calls not connecting, or poor video quality R23R24R53R178.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R6] 5/5 · US Sisters!: I wonderful way to have a long chat with my sister in Australia.
  2. [R10] 5/5 · US Long distance call: It was good everything
  3. [R13] 5/5 · US Great calling option!: iPhone to android wifi calling option is great for face to face calling.
  4. [R43] 2/5 · US The Clarity!: I’m in Los Angeles and I just talked to my wife in Paris on messenger and the clarity was unbelievable, and there was absolutely no delay in the phone call whatsoever, which really is amazing. We downloaded another Messenger so that we could talk, but nothing beats Facebook
  5. [R7] 4/5 · US The extra stuff: I love how you can customise the background into teams and each team has their own custom emoji and I love it
  6. [R25] 5/5 · US I love messenger!: I love messenger because it keeps me in touch with my friends companies stores I do business with so I don’t miss a deal! Thank you! K. Jones
  7. [R28] 4/5 · US My Messenger review: Facebook messenger is awesome. I love using this app. It fulfills my messaging needs. I’m glad I can connect with friends using this app.
  8. [R52] 5/5 · US Great communication: Great way to communicate and help focus on elevation of my students
  9. [R2] 2/5 · US Missing notifications: This is more on Facebook page where I have a notification that somebody replied to my comment and then I click on it and it's somebody else or it won't show the person. HUGE BUG!
  10. [R42] 3/5 · US Glitches: Recently due to lot of glitches many msgs r being auto removed.
  11. [R46] 1/5 · US Needs bug fixes: It lags , txts vanish mid typing, video call minimize issues, half the time call rings doesnt show
  12. [R84] 1/5 · US Glitchy: My app notification will sound off, the icon on my screen shows messages, but when I open the app, it just shows me messages that I sent it does not show incoming messages. It’s been like that since the last two updates. The messages eventually show up, but they’re not instant.
  13. [R23] 1/5 · US no audio: i can't get my audio to work in messenger calls anymore?
  14. [R24] 1/5 · US Can’t hear: Can’t hear
  15. [R53] 4/5 · US Audio: Audio continues to break up during conversations
  16. [R539] 3/5 · CA Audio is glitchy: Glitchy
  17. [R16] 1/5 · US Identity: I have identified my identity 5 times which is ridiculous. I have had this account 15 years or longer,
  18. [R108] 1/5 · US Identity confirmation: I am sick and tired of getting locked out of my account to confirm my identity. It’s happened 8 times now!!!!!!!!
  19. [R152] 1/5 · US Confirm identity: Horrible .! After almost 20 years of having my facebook now i cannot sent messages, nor confirm my identity to have it back working. I’ve tried many and all options and nothing .! And yet there’s no one to help.! This sucks so much.!!
  20. [R160] 1/5 · US Angry: For whatever reason I got locked out of my original messenger because it keeps wanting me to verify my identity and when I do it Kicks me out for a month, but doesn’t tell me why or how to fix it or nothing
  21. [R40] 1/5 · US Auto Logout Problem: Sometimes auto logouts and unable to enter into the account for about an hour. If I try to login it auto logouts again.
  22. [R50] 1/5 · US loading: always loading
  23. [R118] 1/5 · US Lags: When sending messages it takes to long to send.
  24. [R162] 1/5 · US Need update your system: Something’s going on with your messenger it’s not updating correctly take a long time read the messages to come in
  25. [R323] 3/5 · GB Drafts issue needs fixing!: Great app but recently the drafts disappear all the time which is very frustrating! Please fix as I use this app as primary source of contact!
  26. [R382] 3/5 · GB Draft messages disappear: If I start to type a message and have to go and get information without closing the app, it deletes the already draft message I have written, which is quite annoying.
  27. [R440] 3/5 · GB Draft Messages disappearing: Draft messages disappearing (using the latest version) when saved and going back into edit.
  28. [R51] 1/5 · US Notification: Constantly shows unread messages and too much spam in other messages.
  29. [R161] 1/5 · US Why?: Why my notifications are not coming after giving all settings resett?
  30. [R211] 3/5 · US Please help notifications: Why do I get a notification that shows the whole message and a separate notification along with it saying I have a message? Please fix this.
  31. [R178] 3/5 · US When making video calls, the picture isn't clear: Sometimes the connection is bad. · translated
  32. [R191] 3/5 · US Glitch: The app won’t allow you to join video chat because of the permissions. The camera and kid isn’t popping up.
  33. [R559] 3/5 · CA Calls don’t go through: Not sure why it takes awhile for calls to connect. Sometimes don’t connect at all. And on high speed internet
  34. [R21] 1/5 · US Not useful: I am not understanding the utility of any of these META apps. They consume and steal your data and use it to keep you on the app yet all the content is pretty meh and underwhelming. The messenger is just another way for META to have access to your data. If only META used their money to improve the apps and provide value rather than to make it more engaging with less value.
  35. [R39] 1/5 · US Lots of Ai bots: There a huge amount of Ai bots. Responses are generic and can’t answer long thoughtful questions
  36. [R127] 1/5 · US stupid.. stalling my data: Stealing my data and reading my private message and so much storage hungry.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store