Facebook to roll out new feature to make free voice calls

File photo shows Facebook office in Hyderabad. This new feature will be available to users worldwide. Photo: M. Subhash

Social networking giant Facebook is planning to launch a new feature for its Messenger app that allows users to place free voice calls to friends.

The feature is so far available only to iPhone users in Canada.

The feature to be introduced by Facebook will help users to make free internet voice calls, known as VoIP calls, to any friend on the social network.

According to the

Daily Mail , the new feature comes at the same time as Facebook Messenger rolled out a new feature worldwide that allows users to record and send voicemail-type message to friends.

Working in a similar way to video messaging in the company’s Poke app, users press and hold a red record button, speak their message, and it appears in line as part of the conversation.

According to TechCrunch writer Josh Constine, there is a wide range of uses for the function, including messaging while driving to recording the waves lapping at a beach to send to friends.

However, its addition to the Messenger app seems merely to make it an ‘even more complete app’ he said, adding that he expects video messaging to soon be added as well.