Video-Calling Feature Now Offered Through Messenger App

A free video-calling feature on the Messenger app of Facebook was rolled out in a number of countries, the social network announced through a blog post recently. Aside from the United States, the new feature became available in Nigeria, Uruguay and Mexico since Monday.

The new feature is similar to the FaceTime of Apple, Skype of Microsoft and the Google Hangouts. While video-calling was allowed by Facebook through its website in the past, it did not use the Messenger app. The new feature can be used on both the Android and iOS Messenger apps. Android users can video chat with iOS users, and vice versa.

The arrival of the video-calling feature on the Messenger app comes as the social network is starting to develop the app into a platform that can be used in a number of tasks. Aside from allowing the software of other app developers to be integrated into the app, the social network also aims to give users the opportunity to use the app in interacting with businesses. Facebook already allows users to use the app in sending money to other users.

Video-Calling Comes To Messenger - image credit: androidcentral.com

Facebook revealed that over ten percent of internet-based voice calls are already done through the Messenger app. Video is considered a necessity for the functionality of the app by the social network.

To use the new feature, users will have to tap a video camera icon on the chat window. Businesses can also use the new feature since it is currently available on the desktop. The new feature can also be used even with low Wi-Fi and LTE signal strength.

Even as the new feature can be used through the standalone Messenger app on the desktop, its can only be used to communicate with other desktop users. The Messenger app is the most popular app of Facebook with over 600 million users logging in every month. While WhatsApp, which is also owned by Facebook, offers voice calling, it does not have a video-calling feature.

Posted by George Daniels on Tuesday April 28 2015, 9:58 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Technology. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0