Facebook Chatting Software in Ubuntu

I wonder if there is any facebook chatting tool available for Ubuntu. The tool might contain these features:

  • Chatting without opening facebook.com website
  • Latest message alert
  • Low bandwidth usage

Firefox prompted me to install a facebook tool. I did but then quickly removed it as it often crashes!


As already noticed here, the Facebook XMPP chat API is deprecated starting on April 30, 2015.

After April 30th, 2015 apps will no longer be able to access the service or API. This includes both access to chat.facebook.com and the xmpp_login permission.

You could, since 2010, add your facebook chat account to any XMPP client. This incluided but not limited to Pidgin and Emphaty, the previous and current IM default client on the main Ubuntu desktop.

At the current time I'm writting this my facebook account set up in pidgin is still working, however I ignore the current status of trying to set up a new account.

As part of the announce from Facebook and after the API officialy deprecated, the latest Empathy security update removed Facebook chat from the recommended protocols.

empathy (3.8.6-0ubuntu9.2) trusty; urgency=medium

[ Alberto Mardegan ] * debian/control: - Remove WLM and Facebook plugins from Recommends (LP: #1432613) - Remove WLM and Facebook from package descriptions.

Instructions to add the Facebook chat to Pidgin (should work for any XMPP client.)

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/12527/easily-add-facebook-chat-to-pidgin/


I use Facebook Messenger for Chrome:

I has built in desktop notifications, like this:

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It appears as a window, with all your contacts, and the conversation is in iOS style:

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You also see an icon in the top bar of chrome, which gets a number when you have a message:

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Get it on the Web Store here.


I can recommend https://github.com/Aluxian/Facebook-Messenger-Desktop.

You may also consider a facebook alternative like https://github.com/tux3/qTox to chat with your important friends ;)