Facebook just launched the latest Watch Together feature on Messenger and Rooms so users can watch a video together in video calls.
Facebook is adamant about keeping its users on its platform. They are competing extremely hard to keep the attention of the users only on the app. In other words, they don’t want users to shift from app to another when they’re on Facebook. People over at Facebook also don’t even want users to use any other app on their phones.
As a result, they’ve made Facebook an ultimate Swiss Army Knife app during the pandemic. In it, users can enjoy the image-sharing of Instagram, the chat functionalities of WhatsApp, and the conference call features of Zoom.
They’re not stopping in their tracks. They also want to get in on the fun of shared video-streaming.
Facebook Watch Together on Messenger and Rooms
During the pandemic, Facebook was forced to offer a video conferencing app that could accommodate more people. This was a result of more people staying at home because of COVID-19. The need for the app arose, especially with the limited participants allowed by Messenger video calls.
Rooms is pretty straightforward to use. Even non-Facebook users can join in on video calls just by clicking on the link sent to them.
Facebook is taking the features of Messenger and Rooms up a notch. Instead of just being for video conferencing, these two Facebook apps can now be used for video streaming. In other words, users can enjoy watching a video together in video calls. This feature is similar to Netflix’s Watch Party or DisneyPlus’ GroupWatch.
However, Watch Together differs in the offerings available for its users. When a user toggles the Watch Together feature, the system will suggest videos from Facebook to choose from. These can be music videos, funny creator contents, or just about any video that can be found only within the app.
Who will use this new feature?
COVID-19 seems like it’s here to stay, and the normal life as it was before will take a long time to come back. As such, activities like watching a movie together with friends are not possible, so Facebook is providing a solution.
Stan Chudnovsky of Facebook said that the use of Facebook is getting more and more visual as more people consume videos on the platform. He said that this feature will be a hit for younger users who still don’t have laptops to use as Watch Together is only limited to smartphone users.
He added, that ‘The younger you are, the more you like it.’
Image from Live Streaming Pros/ YouTube thumbnail