Facebook has added a new camera feature for Messenger called Group Video Chat, which gives you the ability to have face-to-face conversation in group.
In a Group Chat Video you can see up to six people at a time. But if the group is larger, up to 50 people can join in the conversation and choose to just listen in and join via voice or be on camera. Once more than 6 people are on the call, just the dominant speaker is shown to all participants in the video call.
Participants will also be able to wear virtual 3D masks on their faces during the
video call. This feature is currently available on iOS and will come
soon to Android.
To start a group video chat, go to an existing group or create a new one, then tap on the video icon on the upper right side of the screen. Once the video chat is live, everyone in the group will be notified.
Chatting face-to-face live as a group is perfect for those spontaneous moments when text just isn’t enough… or when you have a major case of FOMO. It’s the best way to share the news you just got a job (or into college), have your kids wish grandma a happy birthday, tell a funny story to the people you love or just see your friends live while wearing fun 3D masks to an everyday conversation.
Group Video Chat feature is now rolling out to Android and iOS devices as well of desktop verison of Messenger worldwide.
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Facebook has revamped its Messenger app with a new Home screen that includes recent conversation, birthday, favorites and Active Now sections for simpler conversations.
Until now Messenger showed your recent conversation on the top, but with the new interface the most recent conversation will be shown at the top. This will be followed by new favorite section which includes people you message most frequently, so you can quickly pick up your last conversation.
The home screen next shows upcoming birthdays and an Active Now section, that will show people who are available for chatting at the moment.
Facebook which has over 900 million monthly active users said that with the new update, the social networking giant aims to make Messenger simpler to use by presenting "more relevant information".
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A few days back Facebook started testing multiple account support for its Messenger app. Now the feature is available on the Messenger app for Android. The app now supports using multiple account on the same device, allowing users to manage
more than one account within the app. Users will be now able to sign into or switch between the accounts easily.
The new feature is aimed at those who share their device with other family member or friends, so that they can log in using their account. The first time you switch from one account to another, a password will be required, and you can choose whether or not a password is needed the next time you switch. When you receive a new message notification from another account, the contents will be hidden until you switch to that account.
How to add Multiple accounts
- In the Messenger for Android settings, look for a section called ‘Accounts’.
- Add the accounts related to each person – signing up with Messenger
takes only a few steps, and you don’t need to be on Facebook.
- The first time someone switches from another account on a phone to
their account, we will require a password. After this, the user can
choose whether to always require a password.
- In just three steps, you can move between accounts, and your private
messages will always remain just that – private. It’s as simple as
that.
- Of course if you want to stop sharing a phone, it’s simple to remove your account from that particular device.
Earlier this month, Facebook-owned Instagram also got multiple account support feature.
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Now you can have face-to-face conversations with your friends and family via Facebook Messenger.
Facebook has announced that it is launching VOIP video calling to its Messenger over cellular and Wi-Fi connections on iOS and Android.
Users can start a video call from any conversation with just one tap on the video icon in the top right corner of the screen and call right with an existing conversation. It supports cross-platform video calling. You can make calls from Android device to iOS devices and vice-versa.
According to Facebook video calling will expand Messenger's "real-time communication
features, enabling the more than 600 million people who use Messenger
every month to reach others wherever they are, from anywhere"
The video calling feature for Messenger will be available for Android and iOS users in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland,
Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the
UK, the US and Uruguay. It will roll out to more regions over the coming months.
The new feature could be competitor to VOIP apps such as Skype, Viber, Apple's FaceTime and other similar services.
Source : Facebook Newsroom
