Facebook is entering the fray to dominate video chat.
With Messenger Rooms, Facebook users can create group calls with up to 50 people that anyone can join. Instead of inviting people individually, Facebook users can post links in their News Feeds or on Groups or event pages.
And unlike Messenger's existing video chat features, participants don't need to have the Messenger app or even a Facebook account to join chat rooms.
Once a room is created, anyone can join via the browser, although hosts may choose to "lock" rooms to new guests to avoid unwanted presences.
Facebook Messenger Rooms makes video chatting much more like Zoom. And the new feature automatically becomes more attractive than the competition simply because it's free and allows even those who don't have a Facebook account to participate in the rooms.
There are also other features similar to those provided by Zoom Mettings. Messenger rooms will have "immersive 360-degree backgrounds that transport you to different places, from the beach to luxury apartments, along with 14 new camera filters that even offer ambient lighting to brighten up your space and face.
Facebook also notes that there are no time limits on video chat sessions, which can be scheduled in advance. Messenger Rooms is starting to roll out today and will be available in the US in the coming weeks and in other locations next month.
The update comes after Facebook saw a huge increase in calls on its chat apps, with more than 700 million people making calls on Messenger and WhatsApp every day.
And on WhatsApp, Facebook is also increasing the number of people who can join a call, doubling from four to eight. This update will be released next week.
Facebook also announced that it is integrating Messenger video calls into Facebook Dating, so users can participate in "virtual dates" while not being able to plan live dates.
The new feature will likely be widely used by users of the social network, but it will hardly be used for work, mainly due to Facebook's involvement in the past with problems related to security and privacy.
