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News hardware & software 03 March 2020, 12:12

author: Bart Swiatek

Messenger for iOS Just got Four Times Smaller and Twice as Fast

Facebook informed that iOS devices have received a new Messenger application. The program was developed under the so-called LightSpeed Project and is four times smaller and twice as fast as the previous version.

The Messenger for iOS has been significantly slimmed down.

IN A NUTSHELL:

  1. Messenger for iOS devices has become four times smaller and twice as fast;
  2. The programmers reduced the number of code lines from 1.7 million to 360 thousand, without removing anything important.

Facebook has rewritten the Messenger app for iOS devices. The initiative called Project LightSpeed has made the program four times smaller (the current version takes only 30 MB, compared to 130 MB in the past) and twice as fast. The latter is particularly important given how often most of us open such applications every day.

Interestingly, Facebook developers have managed to reduce the number of code lines from 1.7 million to just 360 thousand, a reduction of 84%. The application has been somewhat simplified, but apparently it did not involve the loss of any important functions. It is worth noting that some of them may be temporarily unavailable (not disclosed which). The company is already working on restoring them.

"Fewer lines of code makes the app lighter and more responsive, and a streamlined code base means engineers can innovate more quickly. As part of the rebuild, a few features will be temporarily unavailable, but we’re working to bring them back soon. (…)

We’ve streamlined the app while keeping it rich with features and making it easier for our engineers to build better experiences. For example, we’ve reduced the contact list from 40 versions to one that works consistently across the app. This not only helps with the cognitive load for people, but it also means engineers don’t need to build new experiences from the ground up," reads the note.

The project is also intended to form the basis for Facebook's new idea - the integration of its three social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram). Although they will continue to be available as standalone applications, the company wants users to be able to send messages between them in the future.

  1. Facebook - official website
  2. Messenger on App Store