Messenger Rooms, video calls for up to 50 people. Zuckerberg challenges Zoom and Google

Facebook has announced Messenger Rooms, a new group video calling service that wants to respond to the need for people to connect remotely in this moment of forced confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

” In the last period, there has been a growing demand for video in real-time on Facebook. The video calls on Messenger, and WhatsApp has more than doubled in the countries most affected by COVID-19, such as Italy, even the Live on Facebook and Instagram have increased exponentially. But there is still much to be done to make real-time interaction even more current. ”

The first step in that ” much to do ” is Messenger Rooms, a service that allows you to create a virtual Room directly from Messenger or Facebook and invite anyone to join, even those who don’t have a Facebook account. The rooms have no time limits and will soon accommodate up to 50 people.

To find yourself,” it will be enough to open a room on Facebook and share it through your wall, groups, or events, to allow people to jump in. Soon it will also be possible to open a room from Instagram Direct, WhatsApp and Portal “, underlines Stan Chudnovsky, vice president of Messenger.

” If friends or members of a community open rooms by giving you access, you can see them on Facebook and join them. When you are invited to a room, you can access them both from your smartphone and your computer, without having to download anything. ”

In addition to these innovations, Facebook introduces in Messenger ” new artificial intelligence effects to update Messenger video chats from mobile, as 360-degree and immersive backgrounds that will transport you to iconic places, from the beach to a luxurious apartment on the water “.

There are 14 new filters that offer ambient lighting for your space or to illuminate your face. ” We are also adding new Augmented Reality effects to celebrate birthdays or make virtual camping with friends while staying at home. ”

Given the recent problems of Zoom (and the Cambridge Analytica scandal that involved the company), Facebook ensures that it has paid close attention to the privacy of Messenger Rooms. ” We don’t see or listen to your calls.

The person who creates the Room can choose who can see it and who can participate must be present to start the conversation and can remove guests at any time. ” You can also report a Room or send feedback if you believe it has violated Facebook community standards. Since Facebook does not view or listen to calls, the reports will not include the audio or video of the room.

Messenger Rooms are available in tests as early as this week and will be extended to the rest of the world in the coming weeks. New features will be added in the coming months. In recent days, Mark Zuckerberg’s company announced that soon WhatsApp would allow video calls to be made for up to 8 people, and the company is also adding features to live on Facebook and Instagram to make them even easier to start and interactive.

Finally, the company remembers the launch of Facebook Gaming, an app that, in a similar way to Twitch, allows you to watch live related to the world of gaming.