If you're a smartphone owner who uses Facebook, by now you're probably used to the idea that Facebook has a separate app for its "Messenger" service.
Most of Facebook's functions are available through the main Facebook app, but when you want to have a private conversation, you have to go back to your home screen and open the Messenger app - a bit irritating, but there you have it.
What you may not know is that the Messenger app has an online counterpart.
If you go to the site Messenger.com and sign in with your Facebook details, you will get a browser-based version of the Messenger app, with threaded conversations and a list of your recent chats.
You can even access photos or videos you have you have shared, or that have been shared with you, in private messages.
Of course, you can access your private messages through the main Facebook website too, but the Messenger website, first spotted by Business Insider , is uncluttered and ad-free.
Moreover, it is an entirely separate website - so it could also be a godsend for anyone who works in an office where the social network is banned.
The browser-based version of Messenger has reportedly been available since April 2015, but Facebook has made no effort to publicise it, and almost no-one seems to know it exists.
Facebook has invested heavily in instant messaging in recent years, including buying popular messaging app WhatsApp in February 2014 for $19 billion (£13bn).
Facebook Messenger now boasts around 800 million active monthly users, while WhatsApp has more than 900 million.
WhatsApp already offers a similar browser-based service , allowing desktop users to communicate with those on mobiles and vice versa.
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