new messenger opens links in EDGE instead of default browser.

At this point my problem with using it as a web app or just having messenger.com open is that there's no indication of new messages, either on the tab or the taskbar. It's really annoying.

It's true that you won't get anything on the taskbar or toast notification with only a browser-based app or browser tab, because browsers don't connect to that Windows native functionality. The old app does give me toast notifications, and if a video/audio call comes in, it will display a popup where I can click to answer it, even if the app was not "open" at the time (it has a memory-resident component that monitors the communications). That's exactly what I want it to do.

But if I leave a tab open in Firefox with messenger.com in it (and it is not the active tab/window), I do get a sound when a new message comes in, and the tab title will usually (curiously, not always) alternate between the name of the conversation that is currently selected and the name of the conversation where the unread message is. Do you not get a sound?

I get a sound, yes, but if I've walked away from the computer and come back, I'm still not in the habit of checking to see if I have messages. The sound doesn't really help me if I'm not around to hear it.

At this point my problem with using it as a web app or just having messenger.com open is that there's no indication of new messages, either on the tab or the taskbar. It's really annoying.

It's true that you won't get anything on the taskbar or toast notification with only a browser-based app or browser tab, because browsers don't connect to that Windows native functionality. The old app does give me toast notifications, and if a video/audio call comes in, it will display a popup where I can click to answer it, even if the app was not "open" at the time (it has a memory-resident component that monitors the communications). That's exactly what I want it to do.

But if I leave a tab open in Firefox with messenger.com in it (and it is not the active tab/window), I do get a sound when a new message comes in, and the tab title will usually (curiously, not always) alternate between the name of the conversation that is currently selected and the name of the conversation where the unread message is. Do you not get a sound?

My solution (SIGNAL) to this specific problem plus a list of other grievances against META, Mark Zuckerburg, and frankly, all of his apps. They are so counter-intuitive and hard to use. Convoluted and hard to find settings, frustration station to the third degree. Plus, he sold out America and democracy by censoring free speech. His new messenger app is so slow that it cannot keep up with my keystrokes. I don't know if that's because it's hardwired to the NSA or Mossad, but either way, I have had enough.

I use Signal now for most of my communications. For the legacy friends and family I will keep facebook and use the browser for messenger. But The App Is ****...

"And my mom and I both like having an obvious app window to tab to, rather than it appearing as another browser window"

Errm, what are you talking about? The new app, looks like a real app, even though behind the scenes it is really Edge. And if you don't like that, Chrome's "Install as app" does a really good job of making a web site behave like an app.

As for issues with it making phone calls, my very brief research indicates it should work, so whether there's a bug and maybe they'll fix it, I don't know. A lot more "apps" are really wrapped web sites, both on Windows and Android than people realise. And for an app that makes no sense when not online, it's unsurprising they want to wrap it rather than developing a different app. I wouldn't be surprised if we see this more often, and other messaging apps go that way.

There is simply no technical reason or even excuse why external links have to be open in Edge. Messenger for Windows is the only app that I'm aware of that does this.

I use Firefox, and have used all its predecessors, going back to Netscape Navigator 2.0. I have also been a developer on some of its components for about a decade. I will not use a Chromium based browser, such as Chrome or Edge, unless the site absolutely won't work, but I will seek to use another site instead first.

The web version of FB messenger does not work correctly in Firefox. In particular, audio and video calls don't work in it. So, it's not a good solution. I believe abandoning FB Messenger altogether is the answer.

The good news is that just about everyone has a phone number, and there are plenty of other messaging apps that are not FB messenger. Even Meta's own Whatsapp client for Windows does not have this problem. Neither do Telegram or Signal messenger.

The problem that my mom would have with switching apps is that she talks to a fair number of people via Messenger, all of whom are old farts who barely understand how their current messaging works; they're not going to change to another unfamiliar app just because my mom wants them to. If it were feasible, I'd just get my mom set up on Discord, which I have open all day every day anyway, but that would leave her with just me to talk to. I suppose we'll just have to install Messenger as a web app and get used to it.