Meta finally updates Messenger to allow sharing larger files

Despite the popularity of WhatsApp and other messaging apps, Meta’s Messenger (or Facebook Messenger) maintains an incredibly healthy userbase. Millions of people continue to use this stalwart of social messaging even though it has various limitations when compared to its rivals.

But Meta has just addressed an issue that has irked users for a long time: the size of file attachments. For far too long, a file size limit of 10MB has been in place -- a limit that is way out of line with modern file sizes (although it was higher for some users). Now it has been increased.

See also:

• Meta has officially stopped using third-party fact checkers, relying instead on Community Notes
• Microsoft thinks its controversial Recall feature is ready for some Windows 11 users to try out... install it if you dare
• WhatsApp shares details of a laundry list of new features and options for chatting and calling

While there is still a limit on the size of files that can be sent to someone you are chatting with on Messenger, it has just increased tenfold. You are now able to send files of up to 100MB, and Meta is pitching this change squarely at gamers, pointing out that it makes it easier to share gaming clips with friends.

The announcement came on another of Meta’s social platforms, Threads:

While the jump to 100MB is welcome, it is a figure that remains far lower than WhatsApp where the filesize limit is 2GB. Seemingly aware that for many people 100MB remains too low a limit, Meta points to shared albums as another way of sending videos to people.

Image credit: Alkan2011 / Dreamstime.com