Facebook Messenger is upping its group video chat game, now supporting up to 50 chatty people in the same group conversation.

Gunning after Skype, Houseparty, and other video chat apps and services, Facebook Messenger is now sporting its own split-screen group video chat. It won't have split screens for all 50 possible participants, but six of them can appear in split-screen at the same time, rocking selfie masks a la Snapchat.

The other participants up to 50 can listen in and talk over voice even with the others, sending stickers, emoji, text, and GIFs to take part of the fun.

Most Requested Messenger Feature Ever

According to Facebook's Stephane Taine, Messenger Product Manager, the ability to video chat in groups has been the most requested feature ever for Facebook Messenger. Taine adds that it's now seamless, simple, and convenient to stay connected via Messenger, having face-to-face video chats with others.

The new Facebook Messenger group video chat has already started rolling out today on the mobile app for Android and iOS, as well as the desktop version of Messenger. The feature is rolling out globally, available to Messenger users worldwide.

"With 245 million people making video calls in Messenger every month, now we're bringing everyone on Messenger the ability to turn group chats into face-to-face conversations no matter where you are — whether you're down the street or halfway across the world," says Taine.

How It Works

As previously mentioned, you can see up to six people at once in a Messenger group video chat, but you can talk to up to 50 people in the same conversation. Once the call gets more than six participants, only the dominant speaker will be visible to all participants.

To start taking advantage of the feature, first of all you need to have the latest version of Facebook Messenger. You can create a new group conversation or join an existing one and tap on the video icon on the upper right corner of the screen to start video chatting. Once you enter the video chat, the other participants will get a notification. Messenger allows users to directly ring just a few friends, or the entire group.

You can also spice things up by adding MSQRD-powered selfie masks while chatting, but keep in mind that these group video chats may incur data charges if you're not on Wi-Fi.

To get a better idea of what the new Facebook Messenger group video chat brings to the table, check out the video below.

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