Facebook launches Messenger Rooms with unlimited video calls

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook introduced a video conferencing tool and expanded live-streaming features amid a surge in demand for video chats during the coronavirus pandemic.

The video conferencing tool, Messenger Rooms, will enable as many as 50 people to participate in a call, the company said in a statement. It will display a tiled layout of participant videos – up to 16 on desktop and 8 on mobile – resembling the design offered by competitor Zoom.

Facebook users will be able to share links enabling non-users to join Rooms via a web browser on both desktop and mobile, eliminating requirements to download an app or create an account as on other services. There will be no time limits on the calls.

With the launch, Facebook joins a crowded field of companies rushing to dominate the market for video meetings, as millions of people locked in their homes around the world are suddenly reliant on the tools for work, school and social life.

Facebook said in its statement there were now more than 700 million accounts participating in calls on WhatsApp and Messenger each day. In many countries, video calling on Messenger and WhatsApp more than doubled, and views of Facebook Live and Instagram Live videos increased significantly in March.

Microsoft, Zoom, Cisco Systems, Google also have rolled out updates of their video meeting tools while reporting record growth since the lockdowns began. Microsoft has introduced a new ‘Meet Now’ for Skype that can accommodate video meetings of up to 50 people without downloading any apps. 

Facebook is simultaneously expanding its live-streaming offerings, such as an option to add a guest to a live video on the core Facebook app and the ability to save live videos on Instagram to the IGTV video-sharing app.

Messenger Rooms will be accessible across the social network’s sprawling array of online gathering spaces, enabling users to jump into group video meetings directly from News Feed as well as in Groups and Events pages.

Facebook is also planning to add buttons within WhatsApp and the chat function of Instagram, although those users will be prompted to open Messenger to create Rooms.

The company is simultaneously expanding group video calling within WhatsApp, which has more users than Messenger, but has limited the number of participants at eight people. It plans to extend end-to-end encryption across messaging services to Messenger Rooms.