Harnessing the impressive power of its 600 million-plus user base, Facebook Messenger is amplifying its feature set with the introduction of a groundbreaking, free video call function. This move comes on the heels of Facebook launching a dedicated payment platform nestled within its Messenger application, signaling a clear sign of more innovative features in the making.
Complementing this progress, WhatsApp, a company under Facebook’s capacious umbrella, is reporting an unprecedented user base surge to over 800 million. With these developments, Facebook progressively straddles the realm of Instant Messaging and mobile communication.
No doubt you’ve arrived here eager for insights on Facebook Messenger’s latest offering – the free video calling feature. To put it in perspective, it’s valuable to recall a similar effort from Facebook in the past, when it collaborated with Microsoft to leverage Skype technology for video calls. However, Facebook decided to relinquish this partnership in 2013, primarily due to the unnecessary burden it imposed on the users to install additional plugins.
Fast forward to the present, Facebook emerges on a trailblazing path of discovery, seeking fresh methods of binding its global community. A recall of WhatsApp’s recent initiative to offer free voice calls on Android followed by iOS, seems to be a testament to this strategy.
How can you access this new feature, you wonder? Just tap the video camera icon within the Messenger app et voila! It’s as simple as that. As of the writing of this report, the video calling feature has been made available in 18 countries, with Nigeria being the sole representative from the African continent. However, Facebook assures that the service’s global rollout is imminent, promising its availability for everyone in the upcoming months.
Image source: Beta news
This article was updated in 2025 to reflect modern realities.
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Paul Femi Balo is the founder and publisher of TechBooky. He covers artificial intelligence, African technology, digital infrastructure, enterprise technology and the global digital economy.
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