Social media giant Facebook has introduced video calling into their Messenger service, allowing users to make video calls from mobile phone to mobile phone.
The new feature launched today for iOS and Android users in a few countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, the UK and the US, but it looks like Australia will have to wait for the roll out to spread over the next few months.
According to a Facebook blog entry, the video call feature will be enabled with one tap on a video icon placed in the top right corner of the screen. A video call will then begin from within the Messenger conversation, giving mobile users – even if one is on iOS and another is on Android – the chance to have face-to-face conversations.
“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,” Stan Chudnovsky, Facebook Head of Product for Messenger, and Param Reddy, Facebook Engineering Manager, announced. “It’s fast, reliable and high quality.”
The new feature will see Facebook going head-to-head with services like Skype and Apple’s FaceTime, pushing their Messenger capabilities even further following the introduction of a money-sending feature and the developer-focused Messenger Platform.
