Facebook Messenger now lets you easily switch to video within any mobile conversation

You know all of that talk about video being added everywhere? Well Facebook isn’t letting up — and it has now introduced instant videos into Facebook Messenger, meaning that within any text-based conversation, you can jump right into a video chat if it’ll enrich your interactions. This peer-to-peer capability is currently exclusive to Facebook’s Messenger app on iOS and Android.

“Instant video is a reflection of the ubiquity of video,” Facebook said in a post. “We simply expect to have that ability in real time, all the time. With Instant video, you can bring your conversations to life in the most authentic way — seamlessly and instantly.”

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https://youtu.be/3-zugdfO0JM

If you have an open Messenger chat and feel you could better communicate something with video, there’s no longer any need to load up an option like FaceTime or even make a video call through Messenger. Facebook now lets you create an ad hoc video conversation with a tap of an icon in the top right corner of the app. Audio is off by default because “sometimes you just need to see something, not hear it,” but you can enable audio, if needed. When enabled, your video will float on top of the active text conversation, and your friend will be able to share a video response if they wish.

This feature is perfect for when you’re chatting with a friend and are curious to know which pair of shoes you should wear or what type of dessert you should bring them from the ice cream store, or you find yourself in any other situation where an impromptu video would add to the live experience.

Since you’re also able to have group chats within Facebook Messenger, this offering may one day be applicable there too, but it’s limited to one-on-one conversations for now.

With more than 1 billion monthly active users on the app, Facebook wants to make it simpler for people to communicate with each other, especially since it views video as one of the next big opportunities.

To use instant video, both parties must have the latest version of Facebook Messenger on either iOS or Android. This feature will only work between mobile devices.