Facebook announced on Monday that it will bring audio and video calls back to its main app after splitting the social network’s communication features into two separate apps. The change is considered “just a test” and can already be seen by a small group of users.
As reported by Bloomberg, Mark Zuckerberg’s company has decided to backtrack and will once again add communication features to the Facebook app.
A few years ago, users could send messages to other Facebook users through the social network’s main app. However, the company announced in 2014 that the Messenger platform would become a standalone app. At that time, Facebook claimed that Messenger needed to have its own app to gain even more features, and indeed, the Messenger app has grown significantly since then.
Although audio and video calls are coming back to the Facebook app, text chat should remain available exclusively in the Messenger app for now. Earlier this month, Facebook had already announced end-to-end encryption to audio and video calls in Messenger. The app was also recently updated with support for QR Code and payment links.
Messenger is evolving from stand-alone app to broader service Facebook Inc. is bringing voice and video calling to its flagship social networking service, the latest attempt to fine-tune its communications features after spinning off Messenger as a separate app in 2014.
According to Director of Product for Messenger Connor Hayes, the new communication features in Facebook’s app are now being rolled out to a select few users in the US. There’s no word on expansion to more users or regions.
Read also:
- Facebook adds end-to-end encryption to audio and video calls in Messenger
- Facebook Messenger for iOS gets QR Codes and Payments Links, Quick Reply Bar, new themes, more
- Facebook Messenger for iOS debuts what we’ve all been waiting for: Soundmoji
