Last Friday Facebook blocked mobile messaging app MessageMe’s access to its Open Graph data, citing concerns that the app was too similar to its own Facebook Messenger. This puts the massively popular app in the ranks of similar sharing apps such as Vine and Voxer who relied on Facebook and the “Find Friends” feature to build up their user base, but were recently blocked by the social net.

Now when users try to bring up a list of Facebook friends on MessageMe, users are shown an error message similar to what Vine experienced.

In barely its first week of existence, MessageMe quickly climbed to the number two spot on the iOS app store. It had more than 150 million users, with a third of them garnered from its Facebook integration.

MessageMe clearly posed a threat to Facebook Messenger. Despite Facebook recently updating its messenger’s mobile functions, the MessageMe app has standout functions for both iOS and Android devices, such as sending rich media messages including YouTube videos, voice recordings and popular graphics such as memes and emoticons. The app is also beta testing features that let users share stickers and money, much like Facebook Gifts.

Both companies have stayed quiet on the issue so far. However, MessageMe’s CEO Arjun Sethi has been indirectly making his views known on Twitter by retweeting messages of support from fans.

MessageMe is also now highlighting their strategy to grow outside of Facebook, using an approach similar to the popular NHN Line messaging app. Line sells special emojis they refer to as “stickers” which they say generates monthly revenue of $3.75 milliion.

MessageMe differs from Facebook by not relying on advertising. CEO Sethi has declared that taking the ad-supported route erodes the user experience.

“We really don’t want to focus on advertising,” said Sethi. “We don’t want to be on moving users out of the experience to download game. It’s not something that we think is core to what we’re building.”

To be clear, Facebook has not cut off MessageMe entirely. The application still has platform and API access, so its users can still use their Facebook credentials to login. They just can’t discover Facebook friends.

Do you think Facebook has a right to limit access from third-party apps that compete with it Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: TechCrunch