Voice, Video calling on Facebook: As the traffic of video and voice calls made via Facebook increases amid the global pandemic, the social media giant is mulling a major change. So far, the video and voice calling features have been incorporated into the standalone Messenger app. But now, Facebook is trying a feature which allows select users to make voice and video calls from the main app itself, eliminating the need for them to download a separate app just for calling purposes. The Messenger app had been spun out of the main app years ago, making it a separate place where users could track their direct messages and, once included, make voice and video calls as well.
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A company spokesperson has however said that for the experience using full features included in messaging and voice and video callings, users would still be advised to use the Messenger app itself.
Facebook has been working on its messaging platforms across the three major products it has – Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Since last year, that we know of, the company has been trying to integrate messaging across the three platforms, and in September last year, it integrated Instagram DMs and Messenger. With this, users of one service were able to find, message and even video call their contacts on the other service without having to download both the apps. Eventually, it is also looking to add WhatsApp to the mix.
The feature can be beneficial for users who either do not have adequate space in their phones to install a standalone app or do not wish to do so just for the purpose of video or voice calling, which meant that Facebook could have been losing out on a potential set of customers. This could be an elegant solution for both Facebook – to tap into this userbase – as well as for these customers, while also offering the existing users the same high quality and full-featured service on the Messenger app, if they wish to continue using it.
