eFax Messenger Plus — What Really Happened?

To be honest, I don't know what really happened to the software. I recently discovered that eFax no longer supports the eFax Messenger Plus software and that it has ceased to be made available to the consumer from both eFax and j2 Global Communications with no mention of why.

For those of us that enjoyed the wide range of features found in the Plus version, like the automatic TIF extension registration and the handy Live Menu plug-in—that would be available in software packages like Microsoft Word, Excel and Notepad to make converting documents to eFax format as easy as 1-2-3—are no longer made available with the Standard eFax Messenger version of the software.

All of the top Download sites like Tucows and Downloads.com have removed their entries of the eFax Messenger Plus software. I'm not sure why eFax was so quick to remove this version of their software from existence only to replace it with a stripped down version, along with the fact that they haven't updated the eFax community with a valid explanation either. However, I hope that will change sooner than later.

The Plus version of the eFax software still works for a fact as a company I work with still uses it on a regular basis. I was even more upset when I discovered that the eFax paying customers, for the Plus service, aren't able to download the Plus version of the software anywhere on their site and are forced to use the stripped-down Standard version along with everyone else. Nowhere under the Members section on the eFax website are they allowed to download the eFax Messenger Plus software and in fact there is no mention of its existence whatsoever.

I was informed by a source that in response to a Support Question they submitted to eFax that the Live Menu feature would no longer available in any version of eFax Messenger, later than version 3.5, and that it now takes approximately 7 steps to convert a simple document from Word or Excel to eFax format whereas before it was a simple click with the built-in Live Menu feature.

I have done some Google searching in hope to find a site that still continues to host the eFax Messenger Plus software, but haven't run across even one. Even if a site's article actually states eFax Messenger Plus for download, the link simply reverts to eFax's site only to begin downloading the latest Standard version available, which can be very deceiving because the EXE name has remained msgrplus.exe even after the Plus version of the software was deemed "discontinued".

With that said, I sadly remain one of the few people with the actual installation file of the latest and last version of eFax Messenger Plus released—3.3.0.0. I fear if I try to host it on Tucows, or any other top download site, it will simply be removed after a short time.

Maybe eFax or j2 Communications will someday inform us of why the eFax Messenger Plus software was chucked, making it close to obsolete. The only thing we can do now is wait.