Facebook has announced that those using its standalone Facebook Messenger app can now have free video chats.
The social media giant recently disabled Facebook chat from its mobile app and required its users to download the separate Facebook Messenger app if they wished to use chat. Facebook has continued adding new features to the Facebook Messenger app, including the ability to transfer money and support for free video chat. The video chat feature will be similar to Skype and Apple’s FaceTime.
“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,” Facebook said in an announcement.
“It’s fast, reliable and high quality. Video calling in Messenger 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.”
The new video chat feature is currently limited to Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the UK, the US and Uruguay. Facebook said plans to make video chat available in other regions eventually.
How to use Facebook Messenger video chat
To use Facebook Messenger video chat, go to the friend you want to call and press the camera button at the top of the screen. Your phone’s front camera will be used by default, but you can also use the rear camera if desired. Only one on one video calls are allowed so far.
