Facebook has enabled its screen-sharing feature for Messenger on mobile devices, allowing you to share your phone or tablet screen when calling a friend one on one, in a group chat, or while taking part in even larger conversations via Messenger Rooms.
Messenger’s new phone feature lets you instantly share your screen with friends and family either in video calls with up to eight people, or using the Messenger Rooms feature to chat with up to 16 people. You can also screen share in Messenger Rooms while on web and desktop. Sharing with up to 50 participants — the current maximum in Messenger Rooms is coming soon, according to a Facebook news post.
Screen sharing allows you to scroll through your photos, surf social media or shop together online with friends more easily than before, Facebook said. The company will soon add the ability for Room creators to determine whether to limit the ability to screen share to just themselves, or make it available to all participants on the call.
Screen sharing is now available globally on the latest versions of Messenger’s Android and iOS apps, desktop apps and web version.
It’s definitely a welcome feature. Video calls have been the saving grace of the pandemic, allowing you to connect with friends, family, and colleagues, and screen sharing is especially useful. You can catch up with loved ones by flicking through photos in your camera roll from a recent trip, or talk over details about a work project with a co-worker.
While screen sharing is already available on a number of video chat services, including Skype and Zoom, Messenger works particularly well on mobile devices, so having the option on iOS and Android is definitely a big improvement.
