Facebook’s Messenger already had a voice call option, and now it offers video calling too, available on both iOS and Android, as the social media giant looks to expand its standalone apps.
“Video calling will expand Messenger’s real-time communication features,” said the company in a statement, adding that it will “enable the more than 600 million people who use Messenger every month to reach others wherever they are.”
The service is available for calls made from a mobile phone to another mobile phone, even if one person is on iOS and the other person is on an Android device.
It can be used by choosing the video icon in the top right corner of the screen and is available in 18 countries to begin with, including Canada, the US, the UK, Croatia, Laos, Mexico and Nigeria. Plans to roll out the service in other regions in coming months is underway.
There have been many developments recently around the Messenger app including a web version of the app, Messenger Platform for developers, the ability to send money to friends and the upcoming Businesses on Messenger which will “enhance communications and interactions between people and businesses.”
The video calling option comes as Facebook-owned WhatsApp has launched its voice calling service.
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