Facebook Messenger adds cross-platform video calling in latest update

Facebook today announced the launch of video calling for Facebook Messenger on Android and iOS. It’s what it sounds like — if text or voice isn’t enough for you, you can take your Facebook chat to a more personal face-to-face video call using one simple button.

The feature is cross-platform, so those on Android can video chat with their friends on iOS without issue, though it’s not yet possible to video chat with folks in the desktop version of Facebook.

The feature is available for those in Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Laos, Lithuania, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, the UK, the US and Uruguay. Your country not on the list? Facebook pinky swears that it’ll be on its way shortly. Find the upgrade at Google Play right here.

[via Facebook]

Facebook introduces Hello dialer app with caller ID, business search, and more

After introducing the ability to place voice calls over Messenger just a little over a year ago, Facebook is now introducing a completely dedicated dialer app called “Hello.” The app looks to make your dialer smarter by being able to see who’s calling with intelligent caller ID, the ability to easily block or mute callers, and search for people and businesses all from within the dialer.

Information is grabbed from Facebook where it is continuously synced with the Hello app. Should Hello pull up someone that doesn’t have a number tied to their Facebook account — or you’d simply like to make a call for free using your data connection — you also have the option to place a call using Messenger, also linked inside the app.

The caller ID benefits are clear. There’s nothing worse than receiving a call from an unknown person. The problem is you wont see any info on these callers unless their info is linked to their Facebook account and/or shared with their friends. I found a good majority of the contacts pooled from Facebook didn’t have any phone numbers attached.

But the auto-blocking feature — which blocks calls other Facebookers have blocked — is a nice touch, along with profile pictures and birthdays. So it’s definitely got some things going for it. Download for free via the link below.

Download on Google Play: Hello — Caller ID & Blocking

Facebook Messenger is adding mobile payments, lets you send money to friends/family

The ability to send cash quickly and easily has seen a boom in recent months. Aside from mobile wallet services like Square Cash or Google Wallet, we’re now seeing it creep into messaging services like Snapchat and today, Facebook.

Using Facebook on the desktop or Messenger for Android and iOS, users in the US will now be able to send money to friends or loved ones inside as easily as sending a text message. Facebook decided to go with debit cards — for both sending and receiving (after creating a PIN) — so that users can avoid those transaction fees. Free is good. As usual, money being transferred is nearly instant, taking a few business days depending on your bank of choice.

We know, Facebook already knows just about everything about you and providing them with your credit card info may not sound like the best idea to some folks. In their announcement post, Facebook reminds users they have been processing payments for gamers and advertisers since ’07. In other words — they know what they’re doing.

Send Money to Friends in Messenger on Vimeo

Facebook Messenger could be adding games in the near future

Facebook Messenger officially became its own platform back in March, so we knew the social network geniuses over at Facebook were brainstorming new ways they could add more exciting features into the service. Right now the in-app apps (app-ception) are mostly related to chat like functions, things like adding GIFs, stickers, or video clips — things that enhance conversations.

We thought it was a great idea, even if we weren’t crazy about the idea of the app becoming more bloated than it already is. As reported by The Information, apparently adoption of these new Messenger apps hasn’t lived up to what Facebook (or developers) had hoped. Now it seems the company will look towards gaming to help pour some fuel on the fire and create added interest.

It makes sense too. Just look at all the casual games out there (Words with Friends, or Evil Apples). These are all games that heavily rely on social aspects to connect gamers with each other. Tapping into that could mean added revenue for developers looking to publish titles on Messenger. While the options are nearly endless, these games could face the same pitfalls as current Messenger apps which developers say are having trouble gaining exposure.

Perhaps a stand-alone Messenger app store is in our future?

Video calling with Facebook Messenger now works (almost) everywhere in the world

When Facebook introduced cross-platform video calling via Messenger late last month, it was only available in a handful of countries. But they promised more were on the way and keeping up with that promise, Facebook is finally updating us on the status of that global rollout.

According to their update post, video calls inside of Messenger should now be available just about everywhere, with the exception of a few countries which, unfortunately, weren’t named. They also said that if you’re experiencing poor video quality to sit tight, they’re working on improving that too.

It was only a few days ago rumors that Facebook was considering adding games into Messenger began floating around the internet. With Messenger recently becoming a full fledged platform for developers to build apps on, it only makes sense — even if we’re not too keen on the idea.

As it stands, Messenger is a solid messaging app, one we find ourselves using more and more. With video calling now available globally, Facebook could be poised to finally take on Skype.

Messenger (Playboard) | Messenger (Play Store)

[Facebook]

You no longer need a Facebook account to log into Messenger

Despite having more than 1.44 billion monthly active users, Facebook knows that not everybody wants to join a social network just to keep in touch with friends and/or family. That’s why they’re eliminating the need to log in with a Facebook account altogether in their latest Messenger update.

Launching first for users in Canada, the United States, Peru and Venezuela, Messenger will not only require a phone number in order to get started using the service which we admit, is much more enjoyable to use than Hangouts. Users who login with their phone numbers will still have access to all the features in Messenger including sending photos, group chats, even voice and video calling.

Facebook does mention that there are still benefits to using your Facebook account to login vs only your phone number like being able to message Facebook friends/contacts (not just people in your phone book), as well as access messages across multiple devices and on the web.

As someone who spends a lot of time messaging friends/family on Messenger, this is absolutely perfect as my immediate family is no longer on Facebook. I’d be willing to guess more than a few of can relate.