6-Screen Split Comes To Facebook Messenger For Group Chat

Following its recent trend of taking the popular features of other social media apps and companies, and then combining them to create a Frankenstein’s monster of a service, Facebook is introducing a split screen feature on its Messenger app that could accommodate up to six users. More than that, these screens can also feature selfie masks, much like what Snapchat offers.

The feature will basically allow a group of up to six friends to speak with each other over the phone in a way that another app called Houseparty is offering, TechCrunch reports. During the live conference call, the users can make use of all the usual services, including emoji, stickers, and can also don selfie masks for spectacular effect during the chat.

In terms of functionality, one of the most interesting aspects of the feature is the fact that over 50 users can listen in on the conversation, which would make it useful for planning events. Of course, not all 50 will appear on the screen since there is only enough room for six.

It is worth noting that the nature of the feature makes it more suitable for social calls than conference calls, even though it can be used for both things. With the launch of this feature, Messenger is officially the first messaging app to have a group video chat option.

This is an obvious attempt by Facebook to once again woo the contentious younger crowd, which is flocking to Snapchat right now, USA Today reports. Although the biggest social media company in the world still boasts over 1.7 billion users, which is several times what Snapchat has, the younger demographic will ultimately shape the future of social media. Facebook is simply determined to not go the way of Friendster, MySpace, and even Vine, where the loss of subscribers spelled their end.