Facebook Inches Into Skype Territory With Group Calls On Messenger

At this point it seems there really isn’t anything that Facebook’s Messenger can’t do: correspond with businesses, use a virtual assistant, or send friends money, among other things. Unless you count group calls. Wait, what was that? Oh, never mind, it can do that now too. 

Facebook, in a move that puts in one step closer to being Skype, announced it will now allow anyone to make group voice calls through the Messenger app.

The new feature, unveiled by head of Messenger David Marcus, is expected to roll out globally to users over the next 24 hours.

“If you have the latest version of Messenger, you should see the phone icon appear in group conversations within the next 24 hours,” Marcus said in a Facebook post. “Give it a try, and as always, let us know how we can make it even better for you!”

Users can initiate a group call by tapping on the phone icon within Messenger. They can then manage individual participants on the next screen.

For now Facebook isn’t allowing group video calls. The company first added individual video calling in April 2015, and it’s likely just a matter of time before the company that keeps adding features to Messenger added a group option.