Facebook Messenger recently launched a new desktop app so you can video chat on a bigger screen. TBH, it sounds a lot like Zoom.

The launch makes a lot of sense; in an announcement on their website, Facebook said that the company has seen more than a 100 percent increase in people using their desktop browser for audio and video calling through Messenger.

The news comes as, of course, as people have flocked to Zoom in droves, which has been met with a number of security and privacy issues. Group video calls via Facebook Messenger will be free and unlimited, and will come with all the same features as the mobile app. 👀

Some early reviews from the PH community:

“Many people are now doing virtual events and having a link is essential for people to just join. If they have that, I think people would easily move from Zoom or others.“ - Alexander

“Although I am completely distrusting of Facebook's privacy practices among other things, I am totally going to use this lol. The app so far seems really good.” - Brendan

ICYMI: We wrote about a new Zoom/Messenger/Hangouts alternative called Around a few weeks ago. Unlike its big tech competitors, Around prioritizes AI-based framing that finds your face as you move, as well as an auto-mute feature that eliminates background noise really well.