Messenger Rooms: How to use Facebook's new Zoom challenger
A few months ago, Facebook introduced Messenger Rooms as its own "casual" take on Zoom and Google Meet. The service lets you have video conferences with up to 49 people at the same time, with two key benefits - it comes free of cost and has no restrictions around how long the meetings could last. Here's how you can start using Rooms on mobile/PC.
What exactly is Messenger Rooms?
Though Facebook has long offered video calling capabilities with Messenger and WhatsApp, all those options require you to start a call and add individual participants from your end. With Messenger Rooms, you can simply create a conference room (for now or later), and then, anyone who has been invited and wants to chat with you can hop in. It is relatively easy and time-efficient.
How is it different from Zoom?
Messenger Rooms makes a different offering with unique options to configure meetings. Typically, you have to send a link to invite people to a conference. But, on Rooms, along with a link-based invitation, you could configure your room to be open for anyone (or specific people) on your Facebook friends' list. They will then be able to see your room and choose to join.
This can enable connections with unexpected people
With the option to open Rooms conferences to anyone on friends' list, Facebook is offering a way to start conversations with people you haven't spoken to in a while. Imagine a school/college/work friend hopping up in the conference and then you both catching up together.
Also, no need to have Facebook account for joining
Along with this, Facebook says, people who are invited to join a Rooms conference through a link-based invite do not need to have an account on Facebook (which is very unlikely but still) to join in. The company claims that they are only required to share their names while joining a meeting so that they could be easily identified by all other participants.
Where can you use Messenger Rooms?
Facebook has said Messenger Rooms will be available on all its major products, starting from the main Facebook network and Messenger app to WhatsApp, Instagram, and Portal devices. However, as of now, the integration has only gone live on Facebook and Messenger for PC and mobile, with the option to set up a new room showing up at various places.
Setting up a conference on desktop
To start a conference via desktop, open Facebook.com, log into your account and click on the "Create" button in the "Rooms" section appearing on top of your news feed. Then, on the pop-up window that opens, select room activity to pick what is the purpose of the meeting (choose from given options or create a new purpose), and add the date/time for the conference.
Now, configure who is invited
After configuring the purpose and timings, select "Who is invited?". Here, you could either choose to invite all your Facebook friends or specific ones. When you go for all friends, the service will show your room to everyone and give a link for external sharing. In the other option, you could choose select Facebook friends or hit "skip" to invite exclusively via a link.
Then, create the room and join
Once the preferences are set, click on "Create Room" to start the conference. Now, the service will show a window with options to end the meeting, share it, or invite more people to join. If you do not want to do any of that, simply click "Join" at the scheduled time and a new meeting window will open, letting you and the others join.
Same can be done from mobile
The same steps could be followed to start a Rooms conference on Facebook for iOS/Android. Alternatively, you could also start a quick link-based room by heading over to the Messenger app and tapping on the "Create a Room" button under the "People" tab.
Features for hosts and participants
Messenger Rooms - if used via Messenger - allows participants to use smart augmented reality effects and new elements like immersive virtual backgrounds and mood lighting. Meanwhile, the host retains the ability to control who gets to join and share the meeting, along with tools to lock a room (keeping others from joining) or remove a participant from an ongoing call.
