As social distancing continues, so does our need for connectivity.
Recently, Facebook aimed to fill this need by introducing a new video calling feature–one that allows for up to 50 people to be in the same video chat at the same time!
The feature, called “Messenger Rooms” allows users to create a Room directly from Messenger or Facebook and invite anyone to join the call–even if they don’t have a Facebook account.
Facebook says of the update:
“If your friends or communities create rooms that are open to you, you’ll see them on Facebook so you can find things to do and people to hang out with. When you’re invited to a room, you can join from your phone or computer — no need to download anything to get started. If you have the Messenger app, you can play with AR effects like bunny ears, and new AI-powered features like immersive 360 backgrounds and mood lighting.”
However, sources say that the 50 person option will not be released to all users right away. Instead, a smaller limit will be introduced first, and then eventually the 50 person Rooms will be available to more accounts. Another key aspect to Messenger Rooms is that they will have no time limit, which differs from its competitor, Zoom, whose limits are set at 40 minutes.
Facebook has noticed that between WhatsApp and Messenger, over 700 million accounts are participating in calls everyday. In some places, calls on WhatsApp and Messenger doubled and Instagram and Facebook Live views significantly increased–both likely a result of social distancing precautions. As a result of this increasing demand, Facebook believes it may have just filled the void with their new Messenger Room options.
Are you going to use Messenger Rooms? What could you use them for? Let us know with a comment below!