Top 13 Facebook Messenger Rooms Tips and Tricks 

If you were not satisfied with the existing offers related to group video calls, the universe has manifested another. This time it’s on Facebook. You may be wondering – didn’t they already have group video calls? Well yes. But, now you get a slightly advanced and interoperable version of group video calling – Messenger Rooms. We will share 13 best tips and tricks for using Messenger rooms in this post.

Rooms can be created from your personal Facebook profile, Facebook groups and events, and Facebook Messenger. For the unsophisticated, the rooms are virtual spaces to connect with people without the need to download Facebook applications or create an account. Anyone can join a room as long as they have the link to the room. You can use rooms to hold celebrations, host an online course, or simply connect with like-minded people.

Let’s see how to use Messenger rooms using the following tips and tricks.

1. How to create and share a room

To create a room from the Messenger application, launch the application. Tap the People tab at the bottom. You will get the Create Room option at the top. Tap it.

A room will be created. To share it with others, click the Share link button. Copy the link and send it to your friends via any application or select the application from the integrated sharing menu where you want to send the link.

On the Web Messenger, click on the room icon at the top of the discussion list.

Click Join as on the next screen.

To share the room with other people, click the View call participants button below.

Then copy the link under Invite people. Send the link to your friends so they can join the room.

2. Change the confidentiality of the room

When you create a room, anyone with the link (with or without a Facebook account) can join it by default. In case you want to limit the room to people with a Facebook account only, you can change its confidentiality before sharing the link of the room.

To do this, in the Messenger mobile applications, tap the Edit option next to the Who can join option on the room sharing screen. Select Only people on Facebook.

Note: This parameter is absent from the web version of Messenger rooms, for the moment.

Point: When a room is created from the Facebook news feed, you can customize who is invited. It could be all of your Facebook friends or a few selected people.

3. Turn off the camera

You can deactivate your camera before joining a room or once you are in a room. To turn it off before joining a room on a mobile, tap the camera icon at the top of the room meeting screen.

To turn it off when you’re already in the room, swipe up on the room screen. Then press the “Camera on” button to deactivate it.

On the web, you’ll find the camera icon in the bottom toolbar of your room. Click it to turn it off.

Point: Use the keyboard shortcut Alt + V on PC to switch the video in a room.

4. Change camera

If you’ve used stories in any of the Facebook apps, you should know that you can double-tap the screen to switch between the front and rear cameras. The same feature also works in the bedrooms. If not, you will find a dedicated button at the bottom of the room screen to change the camera.

5. Mute yourself

Sometimes you want to go to a room where you just want to listen to the others or mute your side. In such situations, you can mute the sound. To do this, tap the mute icon at the bottom of the room screen on mobile apps.

Point: When an icon is overlaid with a bar, it means that it is disabled.

Also on a computer, you will find the mute icon in the lower toolbar. Unfortunately, at this time, you cannot mute everyone as present in Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Point: Use the keyboard shortcut Alt + M to activate / deactivate the mute on a computer in a room.

6. Use effects and filters

To add spice to your videos, you can add native AR effects, filters, and even start fun activities in your rooms. To do this, tap the Effects icon on your video preview screen. A bunch of effects will open below. Use the one you like. To delete an effect, click on the first icon in the far left corner.

Facebook promises immersive 360-degree backgrounds for your video calls soon, and they would be somewhat similar to virtual Zoom backgrounds.

7. Change camera (computer only)

If your computer has multiple cameras, you can change the default camera for Messenger rooms. You can use this function to add face filters and effects to your Messenger video using Snap Camera. All you have to do is switch to Snap Camera. See our guide to using Snap Camera for filters in Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The same method also applies to Messenger.

Get Snap Camera

To change the camera, click the Settings icon at the top in a Messenger room.

Then choose your camera from the Camera drop-down list. Likewise, you can also change your microphone. Click save.

8. Disable the speaker

By default, audio output is routed through your phone’s speaker. If you are in a public place, you can switch the output to your phone’s earpiece. To do this, swipe up on the room screen and press the Speaker button.

9. Share the screen

One of the important features of any video conferencing service is to share the screen. Fortunately, Facebook added the same thing to the rooms early on. To share your screen on mobile apps, swipe up in a room and tap Share your screen. To stop sharing, tap Stop on your video preview screen.

Click the screen share icon found at the bottom of a room on a computer. You can share your entire screen, window, or Chrome tab.

Point: Use the keyboard shortcut Alt + S to start screen sharing.

10. Lock and unlock the room

If you are a room creator, you can lock your room so that no one else can join it even if they have the link. Only people who are already inside a room will be able to participate.

Note: A room is automatically locked if the creator leaves the room or if he withdraws a participant. You must unlock the room to allow more participants to join.

To lock your room on a computer, click the See call participants icon below. Activate the toggle next to Lock room.

On mobile, swipe up in a room and activate the Lock Room option.

Point: To unlock a room, repeat the same steps and deactivate the Lock room button.

11. Check and remove participants from the room

Whether you are a room creator or a regular member, you can see the names of all the other participants in a room. To do this on mobile apps, swipe up in a room and tap View members or Manage room depending on the option available. If you are a room creator, you will see the Delete option next to the participants’ names. Tap it to delete them.

Note: Votre chambre sera verrouillée lorsque vous supprimez un participant.

Cliquez sur l’icône Voir les participants à l’appel sur votre ordinateur. Cliquez ensuite sur Supprimer si vous souhaitez exclure un membre.

12. Quitter une pièce

Appuyez ou cliquez sur l’option de raccrochage pour quitter la salle si vous êtes un participant. Notez que vous ne pourrez plus voir ou entendre les autres participants dans une pièce lorsque vous quitterez une pièce. Cependant, vous pouvez à nouveau rejoindre la salle (si elle est déverrouillée) en cliquant sur le lien de la salle.

When the you are the room creator and you leave, that changes a few things. Typically, one would think that when the room’s creator taps on the end call button, it should delete the room. However, that doesn’t happen. It just means the creator has left the room. The room continues to exist, and people can carry on their group video. However, that room gets locked. So no new participant can join until the creator rejoins the rooms and unlocks it.

13. Delete Room Permanently

To make the room’s link invalid, you need to delete the room permanently. Only a room creator can close the room.

To delete a room having participants, swipe up in your room on the mobile and tap on See Members (or Manage Room). Tap on End Room.

If no one is active in your room, tap on the cross icon at the top on the room screen. Then hit the End Room button.

On a computer, click on the See call participants button. Then, go to the Settings tab and click on End room.

Happy Place

Rooms seem to be an interesting addition to Facebook. You can join rooms that seem interesting to you and learn new things. Since no account or app is required to join a room, rooms will come handy to video call people who aren’t much familiar with technology such as parents or grandparents. We are excited to see what Facebook plans to add to rooms in the future.