Facebook Messenger is now rolling out its free video calling service globally.
The update is also cross-platform, so you can access video calling on both iOS and Android natively through the Messenger app.
“We’re happy to share we’ve now rolled out the capability globally, with the exception of a few countries we’re still working on improving quality for,” said David Marcus, VP of Messaging Products at Facebook.
He continued: “All of us on the Messenger team aspire to build the best communication product that will eventually enable billions of people to stay connected with the people they care about the most, and have an experience that’s as good as a face-to-face conversation.”
The company announced the new service back in April, although it was only available in select locations initially.
Those countries included Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Uruguay.
It’s a bold move by Facebook, as it steps firmly on Skype’s free calling turf – and Apple’s FaceTime and Google’s Hangouts, too – but the company is keen to broaden Messenger’s horizons.
We recently heard rumours that Facebook was planning a new gaming platform built into Messenger.
Facebook’s Messenger app currently has over 600 million users, while Facebook proper boasts north of 1.4 billion users.
Have you used Facebook’s video calling yet? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.