Stay Connected
Access Facebook Messenger from anywhere
Messenger is blocked in every country where Meta is restricted. That includes China, Iran, Russia, and Myanmar. If you can't reach Facebook, you can't reach Messenger either. Lantern reconnects you.
How to access Messenger with Lantern
Step 1: Download Lantern
Get Lantern for free on your device and start connecting in seconds.
Step 2: One-click to connect
Open Lantern and click "Connect." It's fast, secure, and simple—no account required.
Step 3: Enjoy unrestricted calls
Open Facebook Messenger and make voice or video calls without any restrictions.
Where is Messenger blocked?
Messenger is part of Meta's ecosystem, so it's blocked wherever Facebook is blocked. But Messenger also faces additional restrictions in countries that specifically target messaging and VoIP services.
Countries where Messenger is fully blocked:
- China (all Meta services blocked since 2009)1
- Iran (Facebook and Messenger blocked)
- Russia (Meta designated an "extremist organization" in 20222, Facebook and Instagram blocked)
- Myanmar (Facebook blocked after the 2021 military coup3. In a country where Facebook was the primary way most people accessed the internet, this cut off a critical communication channel.)
- North Korea (no public internet)
- Turkmenistan (Facebook banned since 2018)
Partial restrictions: In countries like Egypt, Messenger's text features sometimes work while voice and video calling are throttled or blocked. Saudi Arabia has historically blocked Messenger's calling features while leaving text chat accessible.
For the nearly one billion people who use Messenger4 worldwide, these blocks don't just cut off a chat app. They cut off how people keep in touch with family, coordinate daily life, and run small businesses.
Why Messenger matters more than most chat apps
In many countries, Messenger isn't just one messaging option among many. In parts of Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Africa, it's the default way people communicate. Small businesses run their entire customer service through Messenger. Families separated by borders depend on it for daily contact.
When Myanmar's military blocked Facebook after the 2021 coup, it didn't just restrict a social network. It severed the primary communication tool for over 50% of the country's population3. People lost contact with each other overnight.
How Lantern helps
In countries where Meta is blocked, the censorship systems are often the most advanced. Standard VPN protocols get detected and shut down. Lantern takes a different approach, cycling through multiple protocols to keep your connection alive even when the network is actively working against you.
Only your Messenger traffic routes through the VPN. Everything else on your device stays on your regular connection.
Nonprofit, open source, no logs
Lantern is a nonprofit VPN built by a 501(c)(3), trusted by over 250 million people. Open source, independently audited, no-logs policy.
Every Pro subscription helps fund free access for people in the most restricted regions.