Facebook Messenger Rooms Take on Zoom, Google Hangouts & House Party

Have you heard the news? Facebook’s Messenger is expanding into Messenger Rooms – spontaneous rooms you can launch right from Messenger, but will be available across all Facebook apps.

Facebook Messenger Rooms Merge The Best of Zoom, Google Hangouts & the House Party App Into One Seamless Application for Connecting

In addition to fun filters, and the ability to “schedule” rooms for planned meetings, Messenger Rooms will encourage spontaneous gatherings of up to 50 people through open rooms visible to your active friends, while providing the room creator security controls to lock rooms and remove people from the rooms.

Yes, Facebook is taking on popular communication platforms and apps like Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and a newcomer called the House Party App — combining the best of what they have to offer while trying to tackle some of their security challenges and user limitations.

**Mark Zuckerberg announced the rollout of Messenger Rooms on a Live Video Stream on c|net last Friday, (Apr 24, 2020).**

Here are some of the expected features you can look forward to:

It’s going to be FREE
You can have up to 50 people in a room at a time
Features will include 14 camera filters and changeable backgrounds
You can make private rooms accessible to only those with your link
You can make it an “open room” that will allow those you typically interact with on Facebook to spontaneously jump into your room and see who is there and catch up
You can lock the room to prevent others from joining once a session is started
You can schedule rooms for your planned events
Facebook is going to be integrating rooms and room scheduling options in Facebook Events
Messenger Rooms will be launching across all Facebook apps and Facebook portal, with the best experience being in the Facebook Messenger app (mobile or new desktop version)
People who do NOT have Facebook Messenger will still be able to join in through the Messenger Rooms link shared with them
You can join a room from your phone or computer without downloading additional software

courtesy of Facebook®

The rollout will be strategically distributed to account holders over the next several weeks.

Once it’s available in your area, here’s how you would create a Room from your phone:

Open the Messenger app.
Tap the People tab at the bottom right of the screen.
Tap “Create a Room”, and select the people who you want to join.
To share a room with people who don’t have a Facebook account, you copy and can share the link with them. You can also share the room in your News Feed, Groups and Events.

Facebook plans to add ways to create Rooms from Instagram Direct, WhatsApp and Portal as well.

Additional NOTEs:

Facebook said they will NOT listen to your calls.
Messenger Rooms privacy protections include the ability to control who sees your room, and can lock or unlock it. If you have an unlocked room anyone with the link can join and share the room with others, but the room creator has to be present to start the call and they can control who can join as well as remove participants at any time.
This will be a free solution to rollout across strategic geographic locations over the next several weeks. You’ll find it in Messenger, Facebook Events, Instagram, WhatsApp, Portal and more. And, even if you don’t have a Facebook app you’ll still be able to join through a shared link to the room.

courtesy of Facebook®

UPDATE to Facebook Messenger (May 2nd), in anticipation of the use of this feature for more group meetings (impromptu or scheduled), Facebook also released a desktop version of Messenger that can be now downloaded to any Windows based desktop or Mac. You’ll find it, as of today, in the Microsoft Store or Mac App Store. Here are some of the highlights of the desktop version of Messenger according to Facebook:

- Group video calls on a larger screen. Use it to stay in touch with family and friends, join a workout, or host a virtual happy hour and more. Great when you’re trying to fit more than one person into the frame vs squishing on your mobile camera view.
- Easy to connect. You don’t need to know someone’s email or phone number since all your Facebook friends have Messenger – just send them a “let’s connect on Messenger” request if they haven’t used or activated Messenger yet, or haven’t connected with you there, yet.
- Multitasking. Toggle screens or use split screen views so you can keep working. Your chats are easily accessible, and you can pop in and out of the app while doing other things on your computer.
- Notifications. You can receive notifications for new messages, so you can quickly find the chat you’re looking for. But you’re in control — you can choose to mute and snooze notifications, just like you do now with the mobile version.
- Chats sync across mobile and desktop. You’ll never miss a call or message no matter what device you’re using.
- Enjoy all of your Messenger features – now a bigger screen. Including Dark Mode, emoji, fun video skins and GIFs.

What to learn more?

READ ON=>

https://loom.ly/2K6zrrY – Messenger Rooms
https://bit.ly/3fj4OMY – Messenger Desktop App

Did you like what you read? Then share the love!

About
Latest Posts

Follow me

Tanya T

founder, owner at Back2Basics

A mother and business woman with a strong entrepreneurial drive, and a need to want to see others succeed. Tanya is a wife and mother to three, an active volunteer in her community and avid lover of food, friends, travel and pushing the envelope professionally.

Follow me