Facebook has announced the launch of group video chat to Facebook Messenger. The company claims that this is the most requested feature by the users for the chat platform. The feature is set to roll out worldwide across Android, iOS and desktop starting today.
Facebook says that about 245 million users make video calls per month, ensuring that there is a new way for people to feel closer to each other. The company also announced the launch of 3D masks to be used during conversations on video calls. The feature is currently exclusive to iOS users but the Android version will follow soon.
Image Credit: Facebook
Image Credit: Facebook
One thing to note is that the users can see six people at any given time in the video chat and the maximum number of people in a group video chat can go up to 50. However, the participants of the video call will only see the dominant speaker. To start a group video call, you need to go to a group conversation and tap on the video icon on the upper right corner of the screen to launch.
After initiating the video call people can join in when they are ready. However, as detailed in this Facebook blog post, you can directly call the whole group or a few people directly. This feature rollout comes right after the introduction of camera update for Facebook Messenger.