Earlier this month word got out that Facebook was trialing a free voice calling feature in Canada. We said that, if those tests went well, the company would expand to the US. Well, things must have gone swimmingly because, just two weeks later, American customers are starting to see the same feature turn up in the Messenger app. After updating to the latest version, just tap the "i" icon in the top right hand corner while viewing a conversation with a person and you'll see a button for a "free call." The voice call needs to be made over WiFi, however, so don't expect to completely replace your contact list and dialer yet (update: calls can be made over a cellular data connection as well). We've reached out for comment from Facebook, and we'll let you know the moment we hear back. In particular we're wondering when Android users can expect to see the same option turned on for them. Let us know in the comments if Facebook's VoIP has been turned on for you.
Update: We just heard back from a Facebook spokesperson who said "you can only connect with a Facebook friend who also has [the latest] Messenger installed on their iPhone" and that "it's only available on iOS." If you satisfy the requirements and you're still unable to see the Free Call feature, it might not be available yet for you or your friend. We also confirmed that there are no special privacy settings to enable or disable if you want it. Join us after the break for our first impressions.
Continue reading Facebook starts turning on free voice calls for iPhone users in the US (update)
Filed under: Internet, Software, Mobile, Facebook
Comments
Via: The Verge
Just like seemingly every other major tech company with a voice assistant or voice chat service, it emerged that Microsoft contractors were listening to Skype and Cortana recordings. Apple, Google and Facebook have temporarily halted similar efforts,...
If you've ever tried initiating a group voice or video call on Messenger, then you know that it's not intuitive at all. You'd have to hang up on your friend, start a new group convo and then call from within that window to be able to talk to several...
Questions about security have plagued messaging app Telegram recently, since the platform was supposedly cracked by Russia's state security agency during the election. Telegram uses its own security protocols instead of more tried-and-true options, w...
Facebook has quietly upgraded its Messenger app for Windows 10 with the ability to make voice and video calls, VentureBeat has discovered. No more leaving the app to ring up a friend through a browser. If that new-but-familiar phone or camera icon th...
After testing voice calls for the past few months, Slack is now opening up the feature to all of its workaholic users. It works as you'd expect: you can initiate calls with a new telephone icon in Slack's desktop offerings, or by clicking through a d...
A couple of months ago, you could start making Skype calls from within Slack, an award-winning work chat app that's pretty popular with a lot of companies (we certainly use it over here in the Engadget office). Now, however, voice calls are simply ba...
