Video calling can be extremely fun when it works properly and extremely frustrating when it does not. It isn’t an everyday occurrence for everyone and for some, can be reserved for those special occasions when trying to connect with family or friends who they might not get to see so often. Facebook wants to make it a more everyday affair though, one where you can simply pick up your phone and video chat with your friends, rather than just messaging them. After turning on Live Video Streaming earlier this year, today Facebook has now introduced Instant Video.
Instant Video is just that and could not be easier to use as long as both you and your messenger friend have the most up-to-date Messenger app that supports Instant Video. While you are having a Messenger conversation, you will see a small icon of a video camera in the upper right corner. Just tap on the camera and instantly you and your friend will see one another. The sound is automatically defaulted to off – just tap the image and then you both will be able to hear each other. With video calling becoming more prevalent, there is an increasingly number of examples of when this sort of service could be of use in everyday life and Facebook is hoping it is with their service that users turn to in the future.
If the videos work as Facebook is hoping, it could be just another reason to embrace Facebook Messenger as your primary messaging tool. Having the ability to jump right into an Instant Video is an idea that young people especially will embrace. Instant Video may actually fulfill Facebook’s hope of “letting you put a smile on the faces of those people who matter most in your life.” Facebook is constantly updating their app and adding new features. When they came out with the Facebook Messenger, many people were critical of the need for another way of texting, but it turned out that Facebook users did embrace the idea and now by adding Instant Video, Facebook can probably expect more of the same results.