Facebook Messenger offers option to turn off location determination

Facebook will no longer automatically share the user’s location via the Messenger app. Also, location information would no longer be requested unless the user explicitly turns on the location service on the phone for the app.

The company wrote this on its news blog on Thursday. The update allows location information to be sent as a separate message. Information about the location would only be sent if the user taps the location pin and then states that that information should also be sent. Also places can be sent where the user is not, such as a meeting place for the future. Facebook emphasizes that it does not get location information through background data. The app only receives that information when a location is selected and sent.

Facebook also introduced an extra light variant of the Facebook app: Facebook Lite. This new FB app is specially developed for Android and should work on all Android versions. The app also uses less data and should work properly in poor network conditions. The app is less than a megabyte in size. Facebook Lite will initially be rolled out in countries in Asia. Later, the app will also be available in parts of Latin America, Africa and Europe.