Social media giant Facebook has launched a new video conferencing service called Messenger Rooms to compete with the currently popular platform Zoom.
Facebook, historically known for expanding its features to emulate major competitors, will be taking on the currently popular app Zoom by launching a new video conference version of its Messenger app called Messenger Rooms.
The new service, announced by Facebook chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, will enable users to host a meeting with up to 50 people at once with no time limit.
In a video announcement, Zuckerberg said Facebook users can invite people to Messenger Rooms even if they don't have Facebook accounts.
Currently, Zoom's free version allows up to 100 people to join a video conference but it has a maximum time limit of 40 minutes.
The boom of video conferencing amid the pandemic
Video calling services have experienced a sudden surge in usage in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic forced people globally to stay indoors and to work and socialize from their homes.
In particular, Zoom has attracted tens of millions of new users due to its ability to host large virtual gatherings as well as integrate fun features, such as customizable photo backgrounds.
However, with the popularity also comes security issues. Earlier this month, Zoom issued an apology for safety and privacy issues encountered by users and promised to address them.
Zoom chief executive Eric Yuan apologized via a blog post for “falling short” on security issues and promised to address the concerns and assured that the company will pause the development of any new features to concentrate on these issues.
According to Yuan, the use of the video conferencing app increased at a rate they did not expect prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
Currently, Zoom is being used by millions of people for work and leisure, as many countries implemented lockdowns to prevent the virus from spreading further.
Yuan mentioned: “As of the end of December last year, the maximum number of daily meeting participants, both free and paid, was approximately 10 million. In March this year, we reached more than 200 million.”
Messenger Rooms and Facebook's expanding video services
Facebook's new video conference service Messenger Rooms can only be currently accessed via the Messenger app or through the main Facebook platform. However, it will soon be added to the company's other applications, including Instagram and WhatsApp.
According to Facebook, Rooms will have feature AI-enabled virtual backgrounds that will span 360 degrees. Zuckerberg boasted that this feature will take the experience of video conferencing to "the next level."
The service will be launched in select countries this week and will be available globally in the coming weeks.
The tech giant will also be further expanding its current line of video services to take advantage of the recent boom in usage. Zuckerberg mentioned that over 700 million people participate in video calls on Facebook apps each day.
The Facebook CEO announced that the company will increase the maximum number of people that can simultaneously join a video call on WhatsApp from four to eight and this update will be rolled out next week.
He claimed: "WhatsApp is the only end-to-end encrypted video calling service." This could be a swipe at the recent security and privacy issues raised against Zoom.
