Facebook has announced a new video calling features. The new features include Messenger Rooms which will allow Facebook and Messenger users to create group video call up to 50 people. Earlier the messenger video call limit was up to 8 people.
Facebook launches Messenger Rooms, brings group video calls with up to 50 people
As everyone is in lockdown, no one can move anywhere. All the offices have gone empty as no one is allowed to come out of the house. In this tough time, everyone wants to stay in touch with their friends. So at this time, everyone has moved to group video calls to stay in touch with each other.
Facebook, has announced new features to Messenger, which will make it easier to connect with business contacts, and also with family and friends.
The new feature is Messenger Rooms, which is a platform to create group video calls up to 50 people. 50 peoples can join this room and can communicate with each other. This platform is open to everyone, and it doesn’t need a Facebook account to join Messenger Rooms call.
The Messenger Rooms feature was announced by Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook. The users can select who is allowed to join their room, or it is accessible to everyone with a link only.
However, this new feature will work a little bit similar to the Houseparty app. It will be shown on a user’s feed, and unlocked ones bringing the ability to be joined by the user.
Messenger Rooms by Facebook will directly target apps like Zoom, which has become so popular in the last few months. However, Messenger Rooms will have privacy concerns.
Facebook Goes All-In On Video
The launch of Rooms comes alongside a slew of other video-related updates designed to shore up Facebook’s deficiency in many-to-many communication. Messenger and WhatsApp now see 700 million people using audio and video calls each day, while Facebook and Instagram Live videos now reach 800 million people per day. Facebook already owns the many-to-one feeds and has emerged as a leader in one-to-many live streaming, but “the middle piece needed way more investment” Chudnovsky says.
Here’s a rundown of the other announcements and what they mean:
- Virtual And 360 Backgrounds with mood lighting – Facebook will soon launch the ability to choose a virtual background to cover up what’s behind you on a video call, including 360 backgrounds that look different as you move around, plus mood lighting to make you look better on camera
- Facebook Live With returns – It’s tough to be the center of attention for long periods, so being able to bring a guest on-screen during Live calls keeps them interesting and low pressure
- Donate button on live videos – This makes it much easier for musicians, activists, and normal people to raise money for causes during the coronavirus crisis
- Live via audio-only – With more musicians bringing their tours to Facebook Live, now you can listen while still going about your day when you can’t watch too or want to conserve data, and you can use a toll-free number to dial into some Pages’ videos
- Instagram Live on the web – You can now watch live videos and comment from the desktop so you can multi-task during longer streams
How To Use Facebook Rooms
Facebook strived to make Rooms launchable and discoverable across all its apps in hopes of blitzing into space. You can launch a Room from the News Feed composer, Groups, Events, the Messenger inbox, and soon Instagram Direct’s video chat button, WhatsApp, and Portal. You’ll be able to choose a start time, add a description, and choose who can join in three ways.
You can restrict your Room just to people you invite, such as for a family catch-up. You can make it open to all your friends, who’ll be able to see it in the new Rooms discovery tray above the News Feed or inbox and eventually similar surfaces in the other apps. In this case, Facebook may notify some close friends to make sure they’ll see it. Or you can share a link to your Room wherever you want, effectively making it public.
Facebook apparently watched the PR disaster that emerged from Zoombombing, and purposefully built security into Rooms. The host can lock the room to block people from joining via URL, and if they boot someone from a Room, it automatically locks until they unlock it. That ensures that if trolls find your link, they can’t just keep joining from the web.
Naturally, Chudnovsky tried to downplay the influence of Zoom and Houseparty on Rooms. “We’re glad there are many other apps people can use when they want to see each other and stay close to each other. I don’t think we necessarily learned anything that actually became part of this product” he insisted. It’s also convenient that Rooms is essentially a non-exclusive video version of Clubhouse, the voice chat apply that’s the talk of Silicon Valley right now
Conclusion
As of now, the Messenger Rooms will be limited to Facebook, and in the future, it will be integrated with Instagram Direct, Whatsapp, and Portal.
