Don't have a Facebook account but still want to chat with friends on the social network? No sweat.

Soon, you won't even need a Facebook account to sign up for Messenger. Facebook on Wednesday announced that people in the U.S., Canada, Peru, and Venezuela will soon be able to sign up for Messenger with just a phone number. The option is rolling out now.

Facebook says the move is all about making Messenger more accessible to everyone—even anti-Facebookers. If you fall into this camp, just select the option "Not on Facebook" on the Messenger welcome screen. From there, you'll be able to sign up with just your name, phone number, and photo.

"With Messenger, we've been focused on creating the best messaging experience possible by giving people a fun and easy way to connect and express themselves with friends and contacts," Facebook Software Engineer Louis Boval wrote in a blog post. "With this update, more people can enjoy all the features that are available on Messenger—including photos, videos, group chats, voice and video calling, stickers and more."

The move comes after Facebook last year dropped chat from its mobile app and transitioned people over to the standalone Messenger app for all their private-chat needs. The main Facebook app will still show you if you have any new messages, but you'll need the separate Messenger app to read them and reply.

You can, of course, still sign in to Messenger using your Facebook account, and the social network says there are "many benefits" to doing this. By signing in with your actual Facebook account, you can message with people you're already connected to, and those messages will sync across mobile devices, the Web, and tablets.