The new app is poised to compete with Zoom.
On 2 April, Facebook launched its Messenger app for MacOS and Windows. Similar to the mobile and web versions, it allows users to message friends and host video calls. In a press release, Facebook highlights key features, such as larger-screen video calls, custom notifications and chats that sync with its mobile app.
The site also notes that it saw a “100% increase in people using their desktop browser for audio and video calling on Messenger” over the past month.
New Messenger Desktop App for Group Video Calls and Chats https://t.co/wk1zFyp7tk pic.twitter.com/bLBwRDZ1a3
— Facebook Newsroom (@fbnewsroom) April 2, 2020
There were rumors that a stand-alone desktop app was in development as early as 2016, but it was only officially announced last year.
This launch positions Messenger as a direct competitor to several other video-conferencing tools, including Zoom, which exploded in popularity and now faces significant privacy concerns following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Messenger has a limit of eight participants and requires users to be friends on Facebook to call each other, as opposed to Zoom’s 500-person limit that has been utilized by larger businesses and universities.
Messenger is available to download in the Microsoft Store and Mac App Store.
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