Facebook Messenger Brings Group Video Calling to Apps and Web
December 19 2016 - 5:20PM
Dow Jones News
By Nathan Olivarez-Giles
With Christmas, Hanukkah and New Year's Eve days away, cell
towers will soon be jammed with video calls. Facebook Inc. is
powering up its Messenger app in hopes that people choose it over
its competitors. On Monday, Facebook updated Messenger on Apple
Inc.'s iOS, Alphabet Inc.'s Android operating systems and the
desktop web, adding six-way video calling.
With the update in place, up to six people can see each other
live while chatting. But you can invite a larger group, up to 50.
In that case, only the person speaking at the time will be seen. If
several are speaking at once, the loudest will be seen.
Group video calling sets Facebook Messenger apart from
Facebook's other messaging app, WhatsApp, as well as Snap Inc.'s
Snapchat, Apple's FaceTime and Google Duo. These all allow users to
communicate one to one.
This is more like the group video chats previously offered by
Microsoft Corp.'s Skype and Alphabet's Google Hangouts -- services
that have found more popularity among enterprise customers.
However, like Snapchat, Facebook Messenger is trying to keep things
fun, adding digital masks (fake glasses, mustaches and the like)
that stick to your face as you chat. That feature is on iOS for
now, but available on Android soon, Facebook said.
You can start a group video call in a pre-existing group text
chat, using a camera icon in the upper right corner. If you want to
start a new group call, just tap the "Calls" button on the bottom
of the app, then select "Start group call." You will have the
option to start the call in either video or voice. People you call
will receive a notification and be able to join in on the video
chat whenever they are ready.
The feature doesn't have anything to do with Facebook Live
streaming, which lets users broadcast live video to their Facebook
friends and followers, introduced earlier this year. That will
remain limited to one live video feed.
Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at
Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 19, 2016 17:05 ET (22:05 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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