Facebook introduces AR experiences for group video calls on Messenger

San Francisco, Oct 21: Facebook on Thursday announced that Group Effects are now available on Messenger video calls and Messenger Rooms, and will soon come to Instagram.

Group Effects are new AR experiences that can augment everyone on a video call at the same time, enabling a more fun and immersive way to connect with friends and family.

With Group Effects, you can now play multiplayer interactions with your friends, making video calls a shared experience.

"You'll be able to choose from a library of over 70 Group Effects, ranging from a game where you compete to build the best burger to an effect with a cute orange cat that enters everyone's screens," Facebook said in a statement.

At the end of this month, Facebook will expand access to the new 'Spark AR Multipeer' API to let more creators and developers build Group Effects.

With this, all creators and developers can build dynamic, real-time interactive effects for larger audiences and transform the way people experience video calling.

Group Effects also enable creators to bring their creative ideas to the Messenger video calling experience.

Until now, many AR effects have been a solo experience, like augmenting a photo or video for Stories or Reels, said Facebook.