Why you should start using Messenger Rooms – Right from the onset, Facebook’s products have always been about bringing people together. Over the years they’ve focused on how to help people all over the world feel present with one another even when they’re not in the same location.
Today, video helps most of us bridge this distance. In the nearest future, we’ll be turning to more immersive platforms like VR and AR.
With the advent of the pandemic – coronavirus, more than 700 million people participate in calls every day. In many countries, video calling on WhatsApp and Messenger more than doubled, and views of Instagram Live and Facebook Live Videos increased significantly in March.
Facebook Introduces Messenger Rooms
Messenger Rooms make it possible to have quality time with friends, loved ones, and people who share your interests. You can create a room right from your Facebook or Messenger, and invite anyone to join your video call, even if they don’t have a Facebook account.
Create Messenger Room Using the Mobile Facebook App:
These are the steps for creating or using Messenger Rooms via the Facebook:
- Open facebook app and touch on the home button (in the bottom left corner of the screen on an iPhone or Android phone).
- Tap the “Create Room” button, which is located in between the story and status bars at the top of your News Feed.
- You’ll be given these three options “Room activity,” “Who is invited?” and “Start time.”
- After you are done setting your preferences for your room, click “Create Room” (on an iPhone) or “Next” (on an Android phone).
- You’ll then see a screen with options to invite people, share, edit, or end your room, and to copy the link.
- Touch on “Join Room” when you’re ready to start chatting.
Create Room Using Mobile Messenger App:
- Open the messenger app.
- Tap on “People” near the bottom right corner of the screen.
- At the top of the screen, tap Create a Room.
- If this is the first time, you’re creating a room, you’ll get a “Try it” button at the bottom of the screen that opens up. Tap it to get past the introductory screen.
- On the next screen, you’ll be able to adjust who gets to join the call. If you tap “Who Can Join” (on an iPhone) or “Edit” (on an Android) you’ll get two options: anyone who has the link or only Facebook users with the link.
- If no one else is in the room and you tap the X in the top right corner, you can decide whether to end the room immediately (“End Room”) or to leave the room but get notified when someone joins (“Leave”). If you tap “End Room,” you’ll have to tap “End Room” in the next window to confirm.
- Once your friends join, the room will open. You’ll see a set of buttons on the bottom of your screen. From left to right, they allow you to take a screenshot, control who has access to the call, turn your audio on or off, or leave the call.
- If you click on the button with the “two people” icon, you’ll be able to access additional settings for the call. You can toggle on “Lock Room” to stop others from entering the room, copy a link to send to others, or end the room. To remove participants from the room individually, click “Remove” next to their names.
