Facebook acquires Zoom with Messenger Rooms: what is it and how to use it?

Messenger Rooms allows Facebook users to create or join a video call with up to 50 participants at a time with no time limit.

Facebook is launching Messenger Rooms, a new video conferencing tool that looks like Zoom. The function will allow up to 50 people to participate in a video chat through a link. Facebook says that participants do not need to be Facebook users to access the feature. The “Messenger Rooms” announcement comes at a time when Zoom’s popularity has increased in recent weeks, as millions of people trust a video conferencing application during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Here’s everything you need to know about Facebook’s messaging rooms, the Zoom-like video chat feature.

What are messaging rooms?

Facebook clearly does not want to grant Zoom video conferencing space. Facebook Messenger Rooms is a new feature that remains within your Messenger Service.

Like Zoom and many other video chat applications, Messenger Rooms allows multiple users to video chat at the same time. In fact, Rooms allows up to 50 people to video chat at once. In comparison, Zoom offers free video conferencing for up to 100 participants. Unlike Zoom, which has a 40-minute time limit for free calls, Messenger Zoom has no time limit.

The highlight of Messenger Room is that anyone with a Facebook account can create a video meeting and invite their friends to join, even if those people don’t have a Facebook account. This is the same convenience that made Zoom one of the world’s most popular video chat apps with 300 million users now.

Facebook says Rooms will be coming to Instagram, WhatsApp and the Facebook Portal smart speaker, though the exact timeline of the launch has not been announced.

Facebook said it is working to integrate Rooms with its popular Instagram, WhatsApp and Portal apps.

How to use Messenger Rooms?

It is easy to create and share Rooms on Facebook through news, groups or events. All you need to do is create a room by clicking on a video icon on Facebook Messenger. You can join video calls through a phone or computer.

Messenger Rooms may seem like a Zoom alternative, but it still can’t compete with Zoom. The latest application has many features that are suitable for virtual business meetings.

How about privacy?

Facebook says it has added a number of privacy features to protect the rooms. The person creating a room has the authority to allow people to join, and must be present to initiate a call. The creator of the room can delete guests, and the room is automatically locked for that person when they leave. If your colleagues or friends create an open room for you, you will see them at the top of your news. The room can be limited to group members, or anyone with the link can be allowed to enter. You can control who sees the room. And those who have previously been blocked on Facebook will not be able to see the feature or join. People can report a group video chat for violating Facebook rules. Facebook says it doesn’t see or hear calls.

Participants do not need to have a Facebook account to access the room.

What is the difference between messaging rooms and the usual video calls on Facebook?

There are several differences between messaging rooms and regular calls on Facebook.

• You don’t need a Facebook account, a video call created in Messenger Rooms.
• You can lock a room once everyone has joined so that no one else can join.
• Only the person who created a room can grant permission to allow someone to join the video call.
• If you have blocked someone on Facebook or Messenger, you will not be able to join a call.

Are video calls in Messenger Rooms secure?

Facebook clarified that calls to the room are not end-to-end encrypted.

When can I use Messenger Rooms?

Facebook said it will launch Messenger Rooms in selected countries this week. Other countries will get rooms in the coming weeks.

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