Facebook launches Messenger Rooms for group video chat, rolling out globally in the coming weeks, and says it will allow up to 50 people to join a call
Facebook is greatly expanding its video chat offerings to keep up with rising demand — Facebook is rolling out a suite of new products to expand its capabilities in video chat.
The Verge Casey Newton
Context & Ripple Effects
Messenger Rooms is the culmination of a four-year build-out of Facebook's group video stack. The company first tested the format in 2016 with [[a:915063|Messenger group video chat supporting six users on a split screen plus 50 voice-only participants]], and Rooms now scales the on-camera side to 50 people with no cap on viewers, rolling out globally within weeks as demand for video chat surges.
What follows shows Facebook treating Rooms not as a standalone utility but as a hub it keeps extending: by July users could live broadcast their Room calls, and by September Watch Together let up to eight people in a mobile chat — or 50 in a Room — watch videos together.
First-order effects
- Facebook gains a 50-person, no-invite-needed group video product at exactly the moment global demand for video chat spikes, giving its existing Messenger and WhatsApp user bases an immediate reason to stay in-app rather than defect to dedicated conferencing tools.
Second-order effects
- The July live-broadcast capability converts private Rooms into public content, pulling group video into Facebook's creator and distribution economy alongside Watch Together's co-viewing format — competitors built purely around meetings have no equivalent social layer to answer with.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds, group video stops being a discrete meeting product and becomes a feature surface inside social platforms — with Facebook using scale in chat, broadcasting, and shared viewing to set consumer expectations that single-purpose video apps must chase.
The trend: Consumer video chat is consolidating into social platforms' broader engagement stacks, where calling, broadcasting, and co-watching are bundled features rather than standalone products.
Related: Facebook · Messenger Rooms · Facebook allows live broadcasting of Messenger Rooms calls · Watch Together comes to Messenger and Rooms
Related Coverage
- Introducing Messenger Rooms and More Ways to Connect When You're Apart About Facebook
- Come on Over! Facebook Introduces Messenger Rooms Messenger News · Stan Chudnovsky
- Facebook Messenger Rooms offer 50-user video chats AppleInsider · Malcolm Owen
- Facebook takes on Zoom with ‘Messenger Rooms’ Engadget · Karissa Bell
- Privacy Matters: Messenger Rooms About Facebook · Erin Egan
- Facebook Strengthens Video Calling, Events With Monetisation Features Inc42 Media · Kritti Bhalla
- Facebook rolling out free video calling for up to 50 people CNBC · Salvador Rodriguez
- Bringing Back Live With on Facebook Facebook
- Facebook Launches Its Answer to Zoom Wall Street Journal · Jeff Horwitz
- Facebook's Messenger Rooms will support up to 50 people with no time limit MSPoweruser · Pradeep
- Facebook introduces a group video call service with Messenger Rooms Gizchina · Abdullah
- WhatsApp to allow 8 people private video calls from next week BGR India
- Facebook launches Messenger Rooms as an alternative to Zoom BetaNews · Mark Wyciślik-Wilson
- Messenger joins the party The Edge Newsletter
- Welcome to Facebook's New 50-Person Video Chat Newser · Jenn Gidman
- Video Call Your Facebook Friends List With Messenger Rooms Android Headlines · Justin Diaz
- Facebook's Messenger Rooms take on Zoom and Houseparty Fast Company · Harry McCracken
- Facebook launches Messenger Rooms to compete with FaceTime and Zoom iMore · Joe Wituschek
- Facebook Takes On Zoom With ‘Messenger Rooms’ Ubergizmo · Tyler Lee
- WhatsApp will soon allow up to eight participants in a group call Pocketnow · Lee Kelly
- Facebook's new Messenger Rooms takes on Zoom with real-time video chat with up to 50 people OnMSFT.com · Matt McKinney
- Facebook Unveils Zoom Rival Called ‘Messenger Rooms’ PYMNTS.com
- Facebook Messenger Rooms: Drop-in Video Chats With up to 50 People Search Engine Journal · Matt Southern
- Messenger Rooms launching with a fifty-person limit Neowin · Paul Hill
- For the Love of God, Don't Use Facebook's Video Chat Rooms Gizmodo · Tom McKay
- Facebook Comes For Zoom With New Videoconferencing Feature ‘Messenger Rooms’ Tubefilter · James Hale
- Facebook Messenger Rooms challenges Zoom with free, unlimited group video calls PCWorld · Mark Hachman
- Facebook Goes To War With Zoom, Introduces 50-Person Chat Feature Forbes · Rachel Sandler
- Facebook takes on Zoom, Group FaceTime with free video calls for up to 50 people Cult of Mac · Brad Gibson
- Facebook Intros ‘Messenger Rooms’ for Chillaxing With Friends, Family Droid Life · Tim
- Facebook takes on Zoom with new Messenger Rooms videoconferencing tool SiliconANGLE · Maria Deutscher
- Facebook's Zoom Competitor, Messenger Rooms, Offers Free Group Video Calling for Up to 50 People iPhone Hacks · Asif Shaik
- Facebook's Messenger Rooms aims to be the social version of Zoom ZDNet · Stephanie Condon
- Facebook takes on Zoom with multi-person video chat The Irish Times · Ciara O'Brien
- Facebook to launch ‘virtual dating’ over Messenger for Facebook Dating users TechCrunch · Sarah Perez
- Facebook Messenger Rooms released to beat Zoom at group video chat SlashGear · Chris Burns
- Facebook launches Messenger Rooms (Chat with up to 50 people, send links to non-FB users) Liliputing · Brad Linder
- Mark Zuckerberg on how video chat needs to evolve for the pandemic The Verge · Casey Newton
- Messenger Rooms Bug Bounty Write-up Jane Manchun Wong
- Facebook launches Messenger Rooms, group calls for up to 50 people with no time limit VentureBeat · Kyle Wiggers
- I wanted to share a summary of the new product updates … Mark Zuckerberg
- Facebook launches Zoom rival, “Messenger Rooms” Axios · Sara Fischer
- Facebook takes on Zoom with new video calling features CNET · Queenie Wong
- Facebook launches Zoom competitor, with built-in special effects Washington Post · Rachel Lerman
- Facebook Targets Zoom With New Group Video Chat Feature Bloomberg · Kurt Wagner
- Did Facebook Just Leave Zoom Stock Bulls Holding an Empty Bag? CCN.com · W. E. Messamore
- Facebook launches Messenger Rooms as an alternative to Group FaceTime, Zoom, and others iDownloadBlog.com · Evan Selleck
- Facebook launches ‘Messenger Rooms’ as a Zoom and Group FaceTime alternative 9to5Mac · Michael Potuck
- Google Meet call w/ thousands of Googlers watched an executive's son praise Zoom 9to5Google · Ben Schoon
- This Week In XR: The Biggest News Week Of The Year Forbes · Charlie Fink
Discussion
-
@dseetharaman
Deepa Seetharaman
on x
Facebook's answer to Zoom: a video-chat feature called Messenger Rooms that can accommodate up to 50 people. Zoom shares down about 3% after the announcement. https://www.wsj.com/... via @JeffHorwitz
-
@benrbn
Ben Rubin
on x
Houseparty's product thesis is in it being a substrate of shared intimacy — A focus on # of ppl for (consumer) convo shows how bigcos can miss the entire point. When was the last time u enjoyed a dinner table where 50ppl had equal access to ur attention? https://www.theverge.com/…
-
@facebook
@facebook
on x
On @facebookapp, we're bringing back Live With and have made it easier to donate and raise money directly in Live. You'll also be able to mark Facebook Events as online only and broadcast live to your guests. We're also exploring ways for Pages to charge for Live events. https://…
-
@mosseri
Adam Mosseri
on x
A series of video launches today: introducing Rooms on Messenger, doubling the people you can video chat with on WhatsApp, bringing Live With back to Facebook, and launching desktop Instagram Live, all to help people come together. Creating Rooms from Instagram will be here soon.…
-
@sarahfrier
Sarah Frier
on x
Facebook's version of Zoom is free, with no time limit, for up to 50 people, don't need a FB account. He's talking about it live now: https://www.facebook.com/...
-
@samir_madani
Sam
on x
I'd take Zoom's shortcomings in security any day over yet another spy tool for sneaky Zuck to get off on. The same Zuck that tapes over his computer's microphone and camera while pushing Messenger to the masses. https://twitter.com/...
-
@dcseifert
Dan Seifert
on x
does facebook know that “rooms” sounds a lot like “zooms”? ok just checking https://www.theverge.com/...
-
@jhtv3
Josh
on x
Thank you, Zoom. It's been real. https://twitter.com/...
-
@tzhongg
@tzhongg
on x
Facebook launches today: 🤳 Group video call up to 50 people with no FB login via Messenger Rooms (Zoom, Houseparty) 🎮 Livestream games via FB Gaming app (Twitch, YT) 💖 Virtual video dates via FB Dating (Tinder) 🎟 Sell event tickets via FB Events directly (Eventbrite)
-
@boztank
Boz
on x
The mission of my organization at Facebook is to give people the tools to feel connected anytime, anywhere. That mission has never been more important than it is now. I'm pleased to share Rooms will be launching on Portal soon. https://www.facebook.com/...
-
@katienotopoulos
Katie Notopoulos
on x
As someone who has been trying unsuccessfully to get my friends to video chat me over messenger/portal for.... months... let me tell you: people don't want this https://twitter.com/...
-
@seyitaylor
@seyitaylor
on x
You don't think this is an overreaction? https://twitter.com/...
-
@joulee
Julie Zhuo
on x
When it comes to building and shipping with a sense of urgency, few do it like @facebook. Over 40,000 employees and they can still design and launch a massive new feature in a matter of weeks. Congrats to my friends on Rooms—can't wait to use it. https://www.theverge.com/...
-
@mahirzeynalov
Mahir Zeynalov
on x
That's how giants destroy a company that is focused on one service. https://twitter.com/...
-
@sarthakgh
Sar Haribhakti
on x
Can't wait for Facebook to soon announce how they have hundreds of millions of users for the million features they launched today Unreal how fast this company moves. Say what you will, Zuck knows how to stay on top of the game at all times no matter what world FB operates in
-
@dougboneparth
Douglas A. Boneparth
on x
If only there was videoconferencing platform that we could trust with our data more than Zoom. https://twitter.com/...
-
@denvercoder
Tim Myers
on x
Now you can have a video conference about switching phone providers and then get Facebook ads for phone providers. https://twitter.com/...
-
@kevin_bowen
Kevin
on x
people talking like zoom invented the concept of videoconferencing https://twitter.com/...
-
@kantrowitz
Alex Kantrowitz
on x
Zoom is dead. Long live Zoom. https://www.vox.com/...
-
@satyan
Satyan Gajwani
on x
Crazy to see that a startup with a product launch AFTER Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Cisco all had established products (and in some cases 2+ products), has come out as the clear winner. https://www.nytimes.com/...
-
@joannastern
Joanna Stern
on x
Facebook Messenger Rooms proves my point from a few weeks back. The company has all the tools we need for this time: https://www.wsj.com/...
-
@mulligan
Brenden Mulligan
on x
I'm not a fan of the Facebook newsfeed, but I do think FB can and should own social messaging/communication (vs zoom, google, etc..). This launch feels perfectly in their wheelhouse. Looking forward to it coming to Portal. https://about.fb.com/...
-
@dangoodin001
Dan Goodin
on x
I really hope Zoom prevails. We don't need Facebook or Google having any more of a quasi monopoly than they already have. https://twitter.com/...
-
@justinbrookman
Justin Brookman
on x
Zoom now down 4%, though it's hard for me to see FB Rooms competing with Zoom's paid enterprise products. https://twitter.com/...
-
@privacymatters
Privacy Matters
on x
Privacy Matters: Messenger Rooms https://about.fb.com/... <privacy matters eh? Nice try Facebook https://twitter.com/...
-
@facebook
@facebook
on x
Introducing Messenger Rooms, group video calls that you can start and share via @messenger @facebookapp and soon @instagram @whatsapp and @portalfacebook. We're testing Rooms in a few countries now and plan to roll it out globally in the coming weeks. https://twitter.com/...
-
@marcsettle
Marc Blank-Settle
on x
The return of “live with” on Facebook Live is big, if belated. It means journalists can easily(ish) video call guests and get them on screen at the same time - and record that conversation on the device they're calling with. (It works at the moment with FBL...) https://twitter.co…
-
@alexvoica
Alexandru Voica
on x
Messenger Rooms is rolling out in some countries this week and will expand to the rest of the world in coming weeks, including the US. We will continue to add features over the coming months, as well. Read more on our @fbnewsroom: https://about.fb.com/... https://twitter.com/...
-
@schrep
Mike Schroepfer
on x
Today's @Facebook Rooms announcement is about spending quality time with people you care about. AI powers the new experiences rolling out to Rooms to make video presence more effective and fun - AR effects, mood lighting, 360º immersive backgrounds, and more. https://twitter.com/…
-
@officialssuna
Ssuna Ronald
on x
NEWS: @Facebook is expanding WhatsApp Group Calls. Soon you'll be able to have group voice and video calls with up to eight people on WhatsApp. READ https://about.fb.com/... https://twitter.com/...
-
@justinbrookman
Justin Brookman
on x
FB Rooms aren't end-to-end encrypted, but their blog post assures “we don't watch or listen to your audio or video calls.” That said, unless FB puts that promise into a formal policy, I'm not sure it's reliable or legally enforceable. https://about.fb.com/...
-
@reckless
Nilay Patel
on x
Here's @CaseyNewton talking to Mark Zuckerberg about Facebook's new Messenger Rooms product — and a key observation from Zuck about meetings and needing unstructured time to defeat fatigue https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/...
-
@geoffreyfowler
Geoffrey A. Fowler
on x
About the privacy on that new Facebook Rooms video calling system: “Rooms is not end-to-end encrypted.” “It uses the same technology to encrypt a video and audio conversation between people as it travels from their devices to our servers.” https://about.fb.com/...
-
@joshconstine
@joshconstine
on x
By making Rooms discoverable via News Feed, IG Direct, Messenger & WhatsApp rather than just a feed post, it could spur a new era of spontaneous video chat https://techcrunch.com/...
-
@samfbiddle
Sam Biddle
on x
if facebook says they're not viewing or listening that's good enough for me https://twitter.com/...
-
@micahflee
Micah Lee
on x
“Room calls are not end-to-end encrypted, but Facebook says it does not view or listen to calls.” Great https://www.theverge.com/...
-
@joshconstine
@joshconstine
on x
Facebook Rooms wins by copying Zoom gallery view & Houseparty drop-ins, then adding Fb's ubiquity, frequency, & graph to be uncopyable https://techcrunch.com/... https://twitter.com/...
-
@wongmjane
Jane Manchun Wong
on x
Messenger Rooms codebase has been existing before Zoom become popular, and before even the COVID-19 started Its development wasn't very active until COVID-19 started, which I think to be them pivoting the feature to target Zoom https://wongmjane.com/... https://twitter.com/...
-
@stevekopack
Steve Kopack
on x
Facebook Messenger's “Rooms is not end-to-end encrypted” https://about.fb.com/...
-
@kevinroose
Kevin Roose
on x
Interested to see if this works. My hunch is that a lot of people like Zoom *because* it feels indie, not part of Facebook, disconnected from pre-existing social graph, etc. https://twitter.com/...
-
@caseynewton
Casey Newton
on x
When a social app goes from 10M DAU to 300M MAU in three months, that gets Mark Zuckerberg's attention https://twitter.com/...
-
@ow
Owen Williams
on x
It makes sense that Facebook wants to try and capture some of the Zoom hype but this is also hilarious because they recently shut off access to Messenger for anyone using it without being attached to a Facebook account https://www.theverge.com/...
-
@joshconstine
@joshconstine
on x
Facebook makes a huge bet on spontaneous video chat, putting its new Houseparty/Zoom rival Rooms atop News Feed https://techcrunch.com/...
-
@sarahfrier
Sarah Frier
on x
By “he” I mean Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg says video calling has gone up by 10x in some areas during shelter-in-place. Sales of Facebook Portal devices are going up 10x. He says they're working hard to make more of them.
-
@sarahfrier
Sarah Frier
on x
Zuckerberg: “if you care about security and you want end-to-end encryption you're probably using whatsapp.” on whatsapp they will now allow 8 people in a group call, up from 4.
-
@thekenyeung
Ken Yeung
on x
Facebook launches Messenger Rooms, a tool that lets you video call with up to 50 people, friends can drop in whenever. WhatsApp now supports 8 people on a video call, video calls supported on Facebook Dating, new livestreaming features on FB and IG. https://www.theverge.com/...
-
@mikeisaac
Rat King
on x
zoom has exploded in growth in just two months. now the competition is coming for it. here is a story on what's happening inside of Facebook and Google to go after the rise of streaming video https://www.nytimes.com/...
-
@stevebartlettsc
Steven Bartlett
on x
Remember Meerkat? The app that started the live social video trend. Twitter crushed them with Periscope. The CEO of Meerkat shut down & said “it was a great feature on top of an existing network”. He then launched Houseparty, today history repeats itself: https://techcrunch.com/.…
-
@ambermac
Amber Mac
on x
“#Facebook is co-opting some of the top video chat innovations like Zoom's gallery view for large groups and Houseparty's spontaneous hangouts for a new feature called Rooms” https://techcrunch.com/...
-
@pierce
David Pierce
on x
A Facebook Portal that runs Zoom is a thing I am VERY interested in, sad it's not coming sooner https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
-
@kenli729
Kenneth Li
on x
Riddle me this: is it google duo, meets, or hangouts or a permutation of some but not all of the aforementioned? Mb start there. https://twitter.com/...
-
@dmccabe
David McCabe
on x
The latest app to make Facebook nervous? Zoom. You'll never guess what happened next. https://www.nytimes.com/... via @MikeIsaac @sheeraf
-
@aatifsumar
Aatif Sumar
on x
Whoah. Portal devices were about to get Zoom support in May, but that's on hold thanks to Zoom's feature freeze. Portal TV would have been the first big-screen Zoom solution. https://twitter.com/...
-
@jaspar
@jaspar
on x
i have no idea how to start a google hangout or whatever it's called now https://twitter.com/...
-
@reckless
Nilay Patel
on x
I am sorry but it is EXTREMELY FUNNY that Google's messaging teams are like “where did Zoom come from” https://www.nytimes.com/...
-
@jesselehrich
Jesse Lehrich
on x
omg... Google's chief biz officer, on a Google Meet call with 1000s of staff, was asked why Zoom is dominating video chat. as he's answering, his kid walks in & asks if he's using Zoom 🤣 https://www.nytimes.com/... https://twitter.com/...
-
@jamesrbuk
James Ball
on x
This is one of the best work “oh no” moments I've seen lately https://twitter.com/...
-
@abhishek_tri
Abhishek
on x
Google's chief business officer, on a Google Meet call with 1000s of staff, was asked why Zoom is dominating video chat, what happened next will blow your mind 😂🤦🏻 ♂️ yesterday Facebook launched a rival, all these biggies are still shocked & preparing now https://www.nytimes.com…
-
@digiphile
Alex Howard
on x
“Zuckerberg is not the only tech titan with @Zoom_US on his mind.” https://www.nytimes.com/... @Google made @google_meet more accessible through @Gmail. @Cisco is promoting @WebEx as “highly secure.” @Verizon acquired a videoconferencing service. Me: Watch @MicrosoftTeams & schoo…
-
@shiraovide
Shira Ovide
on x
Sorry, Facebook marketers. I am calling this “Zoombook” and you can't make me stop. https://twitter.com/...