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Facebook's Messenger Rooms in Testing, Lets You Chat With Strangers on a Topic

Facebook's Messenger Rooms in Testing, Lets You Chat With Strangers on a Topic

By Ketan Pratap | Updated: 14 November 2016 14:06 IST

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Highlights

Rooms feature will let you chat with strangers on a topic
New feature tested in Australia and Canada
Android users to first get Messenger Rooms feature

Facebook is set to launch a new feature which will let you chat with anyone on a specific topic. The new feature, dubbed Rooms, will be rolled out to limited users in few countries and will be part of Messenger. It is said to be a "bulletin board-style and real-time messaging" feature.

Multiple reports point that the Messenger Rooms will be initially available to users in Australia and Canada with no word on global rollout. The feature has reportedly rolled out to Android users in Australia while users in Canada should get it as well.

Australian site Courier Mail cites Facebook Messenger Product Manager Drew Moxon to say, "Group chats today are focused on people you know - friends and family - and what we've found by talking to users is there's a lot of need for conversations about specific topics. This will be for topic-based conversations and so people can talk with others they may not know."

There is no word of when Facebook will make Messenger Rooms available to worldwide users.

According to Moxon, the new Messenger Rooms feature will give space to users for discussing topics with anyone who's interested about the topic and won't be limited to just friends or family.

For those unaware, Facebook's Messenger currently allows users to chat in groups though these are private conversations with friends.

Moxon provided some examples of public conversation such as a Formula One grand prix, an Apple Keynote event, or an election. Facebook will also allow administrators to make a Rooms conversation private, requiring approval to participate in the chat. Moxon also added that Facebook has been "trying a lot of things" to add new feature for its real-time messaging users.

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Further reading: Social, Facebook, Messenger, Rooms, Messenger Rooms

Ketan Pratap

Email Ketan

Ketan Pratap is the Editor at Gadgets 360. His primary role - debugging the tech hype, benchmarking the future, and compiling it all into precise news, features or reviews. He has spent over 14 years calling out vaporware and identifying the best tech. He’s your guide for everything from chipsets to smart-home meltdowns. When his own batteries are low, he heads for the hills—literally. He’s someone who prefers a remote mountain pass, appreciating a 12,000-foot view that no VR ...More