WhatsApp Going to Allow Videoconferencing of Up to 50 People (Through Facebook)


Advertisements
 

With the current lockdown situation, the majority of our social interactions are done online. Be it video calling for school, work or socialising, we cannot deny that video calling is the new norm.

Which is why Facebook decided to join in the hype. Because why leave everything to Zoom, right?

New Video Calling Features To Be Added To WhatsApp

Facebook will be releasing a new video calling feature that will allow up to 50 people to join in the call.

But here’s the thing: no one except boomers are using Facebook, so its new functions will be linked to WhatsApp, Messenger, as well as its main app.

Follow us on Telegram for more informative & easy-to-read articles, or download the Goody Feed app for articles you can’t find on Facebook!

So if you’re using WhatsApp for his feature, you’re essentially using Facebook’s service.

Anyways.

Since there are already so many video calling apps out there, what makes Facebook’s new feature different from the rest?

Well, just like the app Houseparty, Messenger Rooms on Facebook will allow people to drop in and out of group video chats if the “room” is open.

According to Vice President of newsfeed for Faebook, John Hegeman stated that Facebook wanted to stimulate the real-world situation of bumping into people.

Hence, the app is designed to allow social interactions online to seem like you’ve just passing by. Just like how you’ve “accidentally” bumped into your friend’s video call with her partner. Oof. Sounds fun.

However, if you’re worried about privacy concerns, Facebook did step up its measures on security. If you’re creating a Messenger Room, you will be able to keep your room private and block unwanted participants from coming in.

Furthermore, you can also send invitations to people who are not on Facebook. This makes it easier as compared to other apps, where you have to sign up in order to use the app.

Facebook has also worked with cryptographers to make links for these Messenger Rooms complex for hackers to guess. It further stressed that Facebook will not be listening or monitoring video calls on its platforms.

However, at launch, the chats will not be end-to-end encrypted. Stephane Taine, director of product for Messenger, commented that he hopes to add end-to-end encryption in the future.

How Does It Work?

It’s simple. You can start by creating a room from Messenger or Facebook and invite whoever you want through links. As mentioned above, one does not need a Facebook account to join your room, so you can use WhatsApp for that.

If any of your Facebook friends have invited you to a room, the room will show up on your account. You can join it using your laptop or mobile device.


Advertisements
 

If you’re the host of the room, you can lock the room to stop new participants from joining, while participants can leave the room even if its locked.

For those who aren’t using a Facebook account or Messenger to join the room, it will simply ask for a name for identification.

So what do you think? Will you be using Facebook’s video call function to host your online party?

If you’re worried about using too much data, check out this video on the ways you can use less data just by changing the default settings of some apps:

(Do check out our YouTube channel for more informative and entertaining videos!)


Advertisements