Use Facebook Messenger on Chrome OS
If you own a Chromebook and wish to use Facebook Messenger on the Chrome OS desktop, you can do so by installing Caprine. Caprine is a Linux-based application that offers a seamless desktop experience for Facebook Messenger. Follow these steps to set it up on your system.
Note: Using the Caprine application on a Chromebook requires a Facebook account. If you do not have a Facebook account, you will need to create one before attempting to use Caprine.
How to enable Linux on your Chromebook
To get started with Caprine, you must first enable the Linux runtime on your Chromebook. Fortunately, setting up the Linux developer environment in Chrome OS is straightforward. Begin by clicking the clock icon on your dashboard, followed by the gear icon to access the Chrome OS settings.
In the settings menu, look for the “Advanced” section and click it to reveal additional options. Then, navigate to the “Developers” category within the “Advanced” settings.
Upon selecting “Developers,” find the “Linux developer environment” option and click on it. You will see a “Turn on” button; click it to proceed.
This action will launch the Linux setup wizard, guiding you through configuring your Chrome OS Linux environment. After completing the setup, Chrome OS will download and open a terminal application.
In the Chrome OS terminal, select “Penguin” to access the Linux command line interface. Now, it’s important to update your system. Use the following commands to update and upgrade the Linux environment:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
With these updates, your Chromebook is now ready to install Linux applications, such as Caprine.
How to install Caprine on Chrome OS – DEB
An easy method to install Caprine on your Chromebook involves downloading and installing the latest DEB package. Begin by opening the Chrome OS terminal. Once open, locate and select the “Penguin” option to access the Chrome OS terminal interface.
In the Chrome OS terminal, use the wget command to download the latest release of Caprine directly into the Linux container home folder on your Chromebook.
wget https://github.com/sindresorhus/caprine/releases/download/v2.58.3/caprine_2.58.3_amd64.deb
After the package finishes downloading, you can proceed to install it. Initiate the installation process by running the apt install command, which will set up Caprine on your Chromebook as a DEB package.
Note: There are drawbacks to downloading Caprine as a DEB package, mainly the need for manual updates. For automatic updates, consider using Flatpak.
sudo apt install ./caprine_2.58.3_amd64.deb
Once installed, Caprine will be accessible via the Chrome OS app menu in the “Linux apps” folder.
How to install Caprine on Chrome OS – Flatpak
Another method to install Caprine on Chrome OS is through Flatpak from the Flathub app store. Start by opening the Chrome OS terminal app.
With the terminal open, select “Penguin” to access the Chrome OS Linux command line. Here, use the apt install command to install the “flatpak” package, which is the runtime required for handling apps from Flathub and other Flatpak sources.
sudo apt install flatpak
After the command completes, the Flatpak runtime will be set up on your system. The next step is to enable the Flathub app store. This can be done using the flatpak remote-add command as shown below.
flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo
With Flathub enabled, you can easily install the Caprine application on your Chromebook using the flatpak install command.
flatpak install flathub com.sindresorhus.Caprine
Once the installation process is complete, Caprine will be available in the “Linux apps” folder in the Chrome OS app menu.
How to use Caprine on Chrome OS
To use Caprine, a Facebook account is necessary. If you don’t have a Facebook account yet, please visit Facebook.com to create a new profile. If you already own a profile, you can disregard this step.
After setting up your account, open the Caprine application on your Chromebook. Upon launching, a login page will appear displaying the message “Connect with your favorite people,” followed by the login area. Here, enter your Facebook login details to access Messenger.
Once logged into Caprine, your Facebook Messenger messages will be visible in the user interface. You can then select any message and start chatting with friends, similar to using Messenger in a web browser.
