iOS Facebook Messenger Problems: Users Dealing With Bug That Doesn’t Allow Typing

Some Facebook Messenger users on iOS devices are complaining on social media about a bug that won’t let them type while on the app, TechCrunch first spotted.

Users said on social media said that they could not type in the app, with most saying they could only plug in one word. Some iOS Messenger users said the app became unresponsive after typing one word and pressing the space button. The problem with the keyboard was only seen in the Messenger app, not on other apps on users’ devices. Users tried to fix the problem by closing, rebooting and reinstalling the Messenger app, however those steps did not work.

The popular chat app boasts more than one billion active users, but the issue is not affecting everyone. Facebook confirmed the bug in a statement to International Business Times.

"On January 17^th, we learned that a very small number of people who were using Messenger on iOS had some trouble in typing messages," the company said. "We investigated and the problem is resolved. We are sorry for any inconvenience."

iOS Facebook Messenger users who were encountering the problem on their devices went on Twitter to complain about the bug. Some still saw the issue as of Thursday noon.

I'm encountering a weird glitch using the Facebook Messenger app on my iPhone 8: anytime it autocorrects a word, the space bar stops working. I have to click back and then go back into my conversation to make it start working again. Anyone else encountering this?
— Brendan Noel (@BrendanDNoel) January 18, 2018

My keyboard in Facebook messenger keeps messing up and not allowing me to type. I’ve rebooted my phone, deleted and reinstalled the app and still nothing. What the hellllll.
— 𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖌𝖆𝖓 (@narkiewicz) January 18, 2018

Anyone else having issues with Facebook Messenger freezing while trying to type more than a few words? *CHECKS TWITTER* Okay, good, it isn’t just me, then. 🤷‍♀️
— Jill the Pill (@JillthePillNet) January 18, 2018

My Facebook messenger literally won’t let me type more than 2 words without freezing 😫
— ✨Victoria: The Musical ✨ (@OriaMurray) January 18, 2018

My Facebook messenger keyboard freezes whenever autocorrect happens and unfreezes if I send the message so I’m out here looking like im making bad haikus til it fixes itself.
— lauren (@malus_nex) January 18, 2018

#Facebook messenger is jacked after autocorrection/auto capitalization on iOS. Doesn’t allow you to type
— Kevin Mui 👨🏻‍💻 (@kevin_mui) January 18, 2018

New Facebook Messenger Design

The issue comes days after Facebook vice president of messaging products, David Marcus, said the Messenger app has become too “cluttered.” In a post about Messenger changes in 2018, Marcus reminded users about the new features launched on the app. Those tools have caused the app to become too bloated, he said. The company says it will work on de-cluttering the Messenger app this year.

“Over the last two years, we built a lot of capabilities to find the features that continue to set us apart,” Marcus wrote in a post. “A lot of them have found their product market fit; some haven’t. While we raced to build these new features, the app became too cluttered. Expect to see us invest in massively simplifying and streamlining Messenger this year.”

Marcus added: “Ultimately, we want to make Messenger the easiest and most delightful way for people to spend time together in happy and harder times. That's the impact the Messenger team wants to make at scale, and I’m optimistic we will deliver in 2018.”

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