According to a new report from TechCrunch, Facebook may be developing an official Messenger desktop app for Mac.
The site obtained a blurry photo (shown below) that allegedly shows a Facebook employee using the Messenger client on Mac, which would be easily accessible from the OS X dock as opposed to a tab in a web browser.
Messenger for Mac appears to have a navigation tab bar in the bottom left with options matching the Messenger for iOS mobile app, including Recent, Groups, People and Settings. These menu options are reportedly not found in unofficial Messenger apps, making it more likely the app is not a third-party version.
The company’s goal is likely to create a standalone Messenger experience on Mac, similar to how it released a dedicated Messenger app for iOS in 2011.
Facebook released a Messenger desktop app for Windows in March 2012, and said it was working on Messenger for Mac at the time, but the company discontinued its Windows app two years later and has yet to release a Mac app.
Facebook also launched Messenger.com last April as a standalone web chat client. Facebook often internally tests apps that never ship, so it still remains unclear when or if Messenger for Mac will be released.
