Android users in the US get free calling over VoIP using FB Messenger

The US became one of the first countries to receive free calling over VoIP using Facebook Messenger earlier this year. Unfortunately, the feature was limited to only iPhone users in the country. Now, Facebook is ready to roll the feature out for the large number of Android users of Facebook too.

If you’re an Android user in the US, you will be able to use this feature right away, without even updating your app. To place a free call over VoIP, you will need to get to the profile of the person you want to contact on Messenger, hit the “i” button on the top right corner and select the “Free Call” option.

Placing a phone call will send a push notification to your friends, who can choose to accept or reject your call. In case they do not have the Messenger app or it isn’t running in the background, you can leave them a voice message. Phone calls will be made over Wi-Fi if the option is available, or the app will use your data connection.

More from News & Analysis

What is the US HIRE Bill and why is India’s $250-billion IT sector worried? Is the internet dead? What's this theory that OpenAI's Sam Altman says might be true?

US Android users can now make free calls too

Now that Chat Heads are an integral part of Facebook Messenger on Android, the social networking giant has made arrangements to place free phone calls using the pop-up notification too. Tap on the three “more info” dots next to your friend’s name to open the conversation onto Messenger and then repeat the above mentioned procedure.

Back in December, Facebook had quietly started to test the free call option for iPhone users in Canada. Nearly a month later, the option was expanded to the US too. In March, Facebook pulled a double whammy and released the free call option for both iPhone and Android users in the UK. The speed at which Facebook seems to be rolling this feature makes it look like it’s only a matter of time before global availabilty is signalled.

Facebook has said that as of today, 24 countries including the US have received the ability to place free calls using Facebook’s Messenger on Android. This feature comes only days after Facebook released Chat Heads for Messenger on both iOS and Android, and Facebook Home for Android shows that the social networking giant is on a bit of a roll.

The Android launcher skin named Facebook Home was launched last week in a much-hyped event. Originally available to only the US, Facebook Home has been made available to countries the world over on Google Play now. To use Facebook Home, you will have to update your Facebook and Messenger apps to their latest versions. As of now, the app is only available for a few smartphones, namely, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and Note II, and HTC’s One, One X and One X+ as of now.