A premium native macOS client for Facebook Messenger — SwiftUI + Liquid Glass over a Go backend that speaks Meta's real protocol. Not a web wrapper. Universal (Intel + Apple Silicon), macOS 13+, with in-app updates, on-device translation, and your whole history searchable locally. Built to fill the gap after Meta killed the Mac Messenger app.

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Warning

Relay is an unofficial client. It logs into your real Facebook account using reverse-engineered protocols (the same ones the mautrix-meta / whatsmeow bridges use). Meta does not permit third-party clients — your account could be rate-limited or banned. Your session is stored only in your macOS Keychain and sent only to Meta, exactly like a browser. Relay has no servers and collects nothing. Use at your own risk. Not affiliated with Meta.

/// WHY

Meta retired the Messenger desktop app and shut down messenger.com — leaving the Mac with a browser tab or nothing. Relay is a real, first-class Mac app to take its place: a SwiftUI client (Liquid Glass on macOS 26, frosted material below) driven by a Go helper that decodes Meta's actual Lightspeed + encrypted protocols. Fast, keyboard-driven, glassy — and it runs on the Intel Macs everyone forgot.

/// INSTALL

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  1.  Download  Relay.dmg  from the Releases page                       │
│  2.  Open it → drag Relay.app into Applications                        │
│  3.  Approve it ONCE (free open-source app, not Apple-notarized):      │
│        macOS 15 / 26 →  open it, click Done, then                      │
│                         System Settings → Privacy & Security →         │
│                         "Open Anyway"                                  │
│        macOS 13 / 14 →  right-click Relay.app → Open → Open            │
│  4.  Welcome screen → sign into Facebook (password / 2FA / checkpoints)│
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

⬇️ Download the latest release →

/// FEATURES

┌─ MESSAGING   → send/receive · reactions · replies · edit · unsend · forward
├─ MEDIA       → multi-image send · drag & drop · voice notes · emoji + GIFs
├─ ORGANISE    → scheduled send · snooze · pin · mute · saved messages · folders
├─ FIND        → in-chat search + global full-text search over all local history
├─ PERSONALISE → per-chat accent colors · wallpapers · nicknames
├─ SMART       → on-device translation (message or whole chat, macOS 15+)
├─ MAC-NATIVE  → menu-bar companion · inline-reply notifications · Touch ID lock
│                Siri / Shortcuts intents · ⌘K switcher · conversation export
└─ FAST        → SQLite history with a short sliding window — smooth on slow Macs

/// COMPATIBILITY

Runs on macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple Silicon and Intel (app + backend are universal binaries). Newer-OS features light up automatically; older Macs still get a fully working app.

Feature	macOS 13	macOS 14	macOS 15	macOS 26
Messaging · history · search · media · login	✅	✅	✅	✅
Liquid Glass UI	frosted	frosted	frosted	✅ glass
On-device translation · jump-to-bottom pill	—	—	✅	✅

/// UPDATES

Updates are manual — no background checks, nothing phones home on its own. Settings → Download the Latest Version (or Relay → Check for Updates…) fetches and installs the newest build in one click, verified by signature (Sparkle). No need to come back to GitHub.

/// HOW IT WORKS

  Relay.app (SwiftUI)  ⇄  stdio / JSON  ⇄  relay-helper (Go)  ⇄  Meta

• RelayNative/ — the SwiftUI app (folder name predates the rename to "Relay").
• relay-helper/ — a Go daemon the app launches and talks to over a pipe; uses mautrix-meta (non-E2EE / Lightspeed) and whatsmeow (E2EE) to decode Meta's real protocol.
• thirdparty/mautrix-meta — vendored fork (AGPL-3.0).

/// BUILD

Requires Xcode 26+, Go, and xcodegen (brew install xcodegen).

git clone https://github.com/hatimhtm/Relay && cd Relay
scripts/run-native.sh      # build helper + app, sign locally, install, launch
scripts/release.sh         # → dist/Relay.dmg + Relay.zip + signed appcast.xml

See BUILD.md and RELEASE.md for details.

/// LICENSE

AGPL-3.0 — see LICENSE. Required because Relay statically incorporates AGPL-3.0 code (mautrix-meta); the complete corresponding source stays available. Third-party components are credited in THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md.

_{Relay is an independent project — not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by Meta Platforms, Inc. All trademarks belong to their owners.}