YOU NO LONGER NEED a Facebook account to make use of the social network’s separate Messenger service.

Ideal for those who want to use Facebook Messenger without having to put up with a News Feed full of baby pictures and Buzzfeed quizzes, now all you need to use the service is a phone number.

Louis Boval, a software engineer at Facebook, said in a blog post: “With Messenger, we’ve been focused on creating the best messaging experience possible by giving people a fun and easy way to connect and express themselves with friends and contacts.

“With this update, more people can enjoy all the features that are available on Messenger – including photos, videos, group chats, voice and video calling, stickers and more. All you need is a phone number.”

Now everyone can upgrade to Messenger’s enhanced experience even without a Facebook account!

Facebook isn’t letting up though, and has been keen to point out that you’ll have a better Messenger experience if you bite the bullet and share all of your details with the social network.

“For those who have Facebook accounts, there are many benefits to using your Facebook credentials when signing up for Messenger,” Boval added. “People can easily message with their Facebook friends and contacts, access their Facebook messages and take advantage of multi-device messaging across mobile devices, the web and tablets.”

Still, the new sign-up option could make Facebook Messenger more appealing to businesses, with users no longer having to showcase their Facebook profile full of drunken photos and Game of Thrones spoilers.

This builds on the the launch of Businesses on Messenger, which Facebook outed at its F8 conference in March.

“With Businesses on Messenger, people can choose to receive updates in Messenger and continue their conversation with the business in the app,” explained Facebook.

“Once there, people will be able to receive relevant messages from the business including order confirmations and shipping status updates, and will be able to take basic actions like modifying, tracking or returning an order. People will also have the option to ask a business questions, make requests and get quick responses.”

Facebook Messenger’s new sign-in option isn’t yet available in the UK, and has instead been made available only to non-users in Canada, the United States, Peru and Venezuela.