Facebook Messenger now supports group movie talk
Facebook is taking on the app Houseparty with its latest Messenger updates.
Facebook Messenger just got one step closer to world messaging supremacy. Beginning today, the app is adding its most requested feature: group movie talks. You can now movie talk with up to six friends, while fifty more can tag along via audio.
To begin a movie talk, you very first need to download the latest version of Messenger. Then, head to a fresh or existing group messaging thread. Tap the movie icon in the upper right to begin a talk, and everyone else in the thread will be notified. If a friend isn't responding to the movie talk request, you can ring them individually to better grab their attention. Once in the talk, you can also use a Snapchat-style selfie mask to liven up your appearance.
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Messenger's latest feature comes not long after the launch (and growing popularity) of movie talk app Houseparty. Houseparty, made by the same team that built live-streaming app Meerkat, lets up to eight friends or acquaintances movie talk with one another at the same time. It's got a growing fanbase among teenagers and college students. With Facebook's similar movie talking capability in Messenger, its hoping to capitalize on that momentum—particularly ahead of the holidays, when friends and family may opt to movie talk if they can't be together in person.
With Messenger's movie talking, when you've got four people or fewer, each person's movie feed takes up a large section of the screen. More than that (up to six), and the interface switches so the speaker takes up the majority of the screen, while the other movie callers emerge as smaller thumbnails. If you're the seventh (or later) friend to join a call, while you'll be able to view the movie feed, you'll be audio only.
Group movie talking is available in the Messenger Android and iOS apps, and on the desktop.