Move over Skype, Google Hangouts, and FaceTime. Facebook wants to host your next mobile video chat.
While there's no shortage of video chat apps out there, Facebook is giving you one more option with the addition of video calling in Messenger.
"Now you can have face-to-face conversations with your friends and the people you care about, via Messenger," Facebook Messenger Product Lead Stan Chudnovsky and Engineering Manager Param Reddy wrote in a blog post.
The new video-calling feature is launching today on iOS and Android for those in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, and Uruguay. Facebook promised to roll it out to other regions "over the coming months."
With video calling in Messenger, you'll be able to make calls from your mobile phone to another mobile phone, even if you're on iOS and the person you're calling is on Android, or vice versa. Just tap the little camcorder symbol (located on the top right side of the screen, next to the phone symbol within a chat) to start a video call.
"Video calling will expand Messenger's real-time communication features, enabling the more than 600 million people who use Messenger every month to reach others wherever they are, from anywhere. It's fast, reliable and high quality," Facebook said.
This just the latest in a string of new features for Messenger, including in-app payments and a dedicated website for those who want to chat on the Web without the distraction of their News Feed lurking nearby. Facebook also recently revealed its Messenger Platform and Messenger Business, which will allow developers and businesses to integrate with the chat service, meaning apps and brands will soon invade Messenger.