Messaging is easily one of the most used forms of communication these days, and with how connected most of us are to our smartphones it’s easy to see why. Sometimes though it can be nice to have a little face to face interaction even if only digitally. Facebook today is announcing a new way for people to have that kind of engagement through its massively popular Messenger application by introducing a new video calling feature within the app, allowing users to place video calls similar to the way one might do so with Hangouts, Skype or any number of other messaging apps who already do the same.
The app update should be going live today in a number of different regions with more to follow according to Facebook, and once the update is completed users should see a new video camera icon in the top right corner next to the phone icon where users can place voice calls. Facebook has made it simple to start a video call with anyone by making the video calling feature accessible within the conversations you’re already having, so there’s no need to back out of the conversation, tap a video call, and then add the desired recipient. Just tap the video calling button up top and transition the existing conversation from messaging to video.
Facebook states that as of now the new video calling option is going live in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Mexico, Uruguay, Portugal, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, and Poland with future regions to be added at a later date in the months ahead. What’s more, is that the video calling feature is not platform specific, meaning users who own an Android device can call users who own an iOS device and both can engage in video calls together. The feature may not be live immediately for everyone as of this moment but it should be popping up for users throughout the day and the coming days as it seems to be a serer side thing that Facebook is turning on for users on their end.