Facebook on Thursday said that the Messenger Rooms has rolled out globally to everyone on the desktop and on the latest iOS or Android apps. The Messenger Rooms enables users to create a room that can host up to 50 people for video calls with no time limit. Facebook said that the Messenger Rooms aid users to “spend quality time with friends, loved ones and people who share your interests." The company said that the rooms can be created from Facebook or on Messenger with the users having the ability to share and invite people to join the network. Crucially, Facebook said that the users who do not have a Facebook account can also join the calls on Messenger Rooms.
Facebook Feels Demand for Real-time Video
Stan Chudnovsky, VP of Messenger said in a blog post that connecting with friends or family has never been easier. “You can start and share rooms on Facebook through News Feed, Groups and Events, so it’s easy for you to drop by whenever you want,” Chudnovsky said. “You can choose who can see and join your room or remove people from your room and lock the room if you don’t want anyone else to join.” Chudnovsky said that the users in North America can create a room from Facebook while users around the world can create a room from Messenger. It has to be noted that Facebook initially announced the Messenger Rooms in April to users in selected countries. “You don’t need to call someone and hope it’s a good time or check everyone’s calendar first,” Facebook said in April. “You can start and share rooms on Facebook through News Feed, Groups and Events, so it’s easy for people to drop by.” Facebook said that demand for real-time video has been felt by the company as over 700 million accounts between Messenger and WhatsApp participate in video calls each day. “Spending time with each other should be spontaneous, not strained,” Facebook said.
Facebook Teases More Features to Messenger Rooms
The company in April said that it will add more ways to create rooms from Instagram Direct, WhatsApp and even from Facebook Portal. Facebook said that the people can join a room from their phone or computer without having to download additional apps. However, those users on Messenger can add artificial effects like bunny ears while also adding features like immersive backgrounds. “We will continue to add more features to Messenger Rooms in the coming months,” Chudnovsky said on Thursday.
