[ad_1]
By Rachel Lerman 
23m ago
San Francisco: Facebook announced that it is giving a big boost to live video conferencing, capitalizing on millions of people trapped in their homes around the world in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
The new service, called Messenger Rooms, allows users to hold conferences with up to 50 people at a time, similar to Zoom, Houseparty and other video conferencing services that have seen their businesses grow in recent weeks.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg called it another way Facebook can keep people connected in a live broadcast ad.
Video conferencing has become a necessity during the pandemic as workers telecommute and families use video to keep in touch. It has even become a destination for happy hours and dance parties.
Zoom, in particular, has benefited. The video conferencing company recently said that the number of people who participated in Zoom calls in a single day increased from 10 million in late December to more than 200 million people now. The free version of Zoom limits calls to 40 minutes until you sign up for a paid subscription, but can accommodate 1,000 people.
Facebook Messenger Rooms is somewhat more limited: it must be started from Facebook or Messenger, although others who join do not need to have a Facebook account. And it is limited to a total of 50 people.
But Facebook said that Messenger Rooms will be free and will not have a time limit. The new Facebook feature also allows people to enter and join other rooms, or come and go as they please (although it can restrict who has access to their rooms), just like the new Houseparty app.
Facebook has an advantage in the video streaming game with its built-in tracking of over 2 billion users. But it has also been plagued by misinformation and privacy controversies, eroding people’s trust in the service.
Facebook says it will not “see or hear” video calls.
WhatsApp, a Facebook-owned messaging service, will expand to allow eight people on each call, compared to four now.
Facebook said 700 million people are chatting in daily video calls on Messenger and WhatsApp combined.
The Washington Post
[ad_2]
