VIDEOCHATAPPS
78 OCTOBER2020|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE392
FACEBOOK
MESSENGER ROOMS
Free•www.messenger.com
Maximum participants: 50
Whereas all the other video-calling
suites here have added features
and become more popular over the
past fewmonths, Facebook Messenger
Rooms is an all-new application launched
specifically to help meet the rise in demand
–ortocash in on avirus-induced trend,
depending on how cynical you are.
Either way, Messenger Roomsworks
similarlytomost of itspeers, even if it’s
packaged somewhat distinctively: each user
can createapersonalised ‘room’, which in
effect acts as arevisitable video chat. These
can be largely private, accessible only by
granting access to certain people on your
friends list, or you can allow anyone on the
list to join at whim. Roomscan even be
livestreamed with Facebook Live,which
might be useful if you’re hosting aquizor
other virtual party event.
It’s also alot more welcoming to big
groups than WhatsApp,with amuch higher
participant limit of 50, and is available on
desktop and not just the Facebook mobile
apps. AFacebook account is needed to set
up aroom, but you can inviteguest users as
well as account-holding friends, and the
separateMessenger app isn’t necessary at
all, unless you want to add arange of zany
filters and backgrounds to your video.
This particular feature makes Messenger
Rooms more of a‘fun’alternative to
straight-faced alternatives such as Zoom,
Teams and Meet, although it’s also one of
the least secure.Video calls are partially
encrypted but it’s not end-to-end, and
Facebook admits it mayshare certain user
data –including thenames of anyone in a
given room –withthird parties.
If you’re already embedded in the
Facebook ecosystem then you’re probably
already willing to part with this data,
although completenewcomers should
exercise caution.
GOOGLE MEET
Free•meet.google.com
Maximum participants: 100
Google Meet is apeculiar
case,asalthough it’s a
premium, business-grade
videoconferencing platform that
outmatches the more casual Google
Hangouts on features, all the benefits
of apaid-for plan are currently
available –for free –toanyone with
aGoogleaccount.
You’ll have to be quick about it,
however,asthis offer is good only
until 30th September 2020: a
concession by Google towards those
unexpectedly in need of away to stay
in touchwith friends, colleagues and
family members. After that,afree
version will still be available,but will
be much more limited. The current
24-hour call time limit, forexample,
drops to just one hour on the post-
September free version. Keeping all the
benefits will cost about £8 per month.
Still, there’s no doubting that Meet is a
much more completevideo-calling tool than
Hangouts, especially with ahandful of
time-limited freebies. Meet’s focuson
security will be particularly welcome to
privacy-conscious users. Voiceand video
calls are encrypted in transit, and video
hosts have greater control over who can
join to prevent hijacking.
If hosts invitesomeone to aMeet who
has avalid Google account, theywillsimply
be able to join the call at the designated
time; forthose without one,the host must
grant them access to the meeting, adding
another layer of security.However,invitees
not signed intoaGoogle or Gmail account
won’t be able to join using amobile device,
so it’s not ideal if you have friends or
relatives without avalid account.
Google has been polishing or adding
features in recent months, including anew
gallery view forupto16users. This is
obviously much lower than what Zoom and
MicrosoftTeamsmanage,but it’s preferable
to Hangouts,which simply changes the view
to whoever’s speaking at the time.
