You can now make video calls with Messenger. Facebook’s messaging app added a video calling feature today in the US, UK, Canada, and a variety of other countries.
The feature, announced Monday, differs from other video services like Skype and FaceTime because it allows users to quickly upgrade conversations to video from texting within the app, said Stan Chudnovsky, Messenger’s head of product.
Starting a call is simple – you just need to tap the video icon in the top right corner of your chat screen and a video call with start from within the conversation in Messenger.
Facebook first introduced desktop video calling in partnership with Skype in 2011, but eventually built its own video call infrastructure.
The practice is no longer the novel feature it once was, what with Microsoft-owned Skype, Apple's FaceTime, Google's Hangout and other video calling options having been in place now for a number of years.
The growth of calling and texting features from tech companies including Facebook and Google has the potential to disrupt traditional telephone carriers, by reducing the volume of calls – and revenue – through their networks.
Mark Zuckerberg said on last week’s Facebook earnings call that Messenger already accounts for 10% of global mobile VOIP calls.
Facebook has also been beefing up its Messenger app to make it the go-to service for every and all kinds of communication -- from dialing calls and sending money between friends to customer support.
Messenger has accumulated a growing set of tools to stave off competitive from a growing list of competitors, particularly the ephemeral chat service Snapchat.
Video calling in Messenger will become available today for iOS and Android users in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Uruguay. - demanjo
No comments:
Post a Comment