Facebook is killing Messenger’s SMS feature, eliminating the apps ability to send traditional text messages.
Facebook announced the change in a Help Center page:
If you use Messenger as your default SMS messaging app for your Android device, please note you will no longer be able to use Messenger to send and receive SMS messages sent by your cellular network when you update your app after September 28, 2023.
You will still be able to send and receive SMS messages through your cellular network and access your SMS message history through your phone’s new default messaging app. If you do not choose your own new default messaging app, your SMS messaging will automatically go to your phone’s default messaging app, such as the Android Messages app.
The move follows a similar announcement by Signal in October 2022, when the latter announced its intention to remove SMS from its messaging app.