Facebook will let you host livestreams from Messenger Rooms

It seems like many of us will be hunkering down until the COVID-19 pandemic passes, so Facebook is adding more virtual hangout features to Messenger Rooms.

Mark Zuckerberg's empire announced Thursday morning that the Messenger Rooms video call app would get some integration with Facebook Live. From within the Messenger Rooms app, you'll be able to hit a button and go live to Facebook, sharing whatever conversation you're having with the world. Invite as many as 50 people to join the call and you can host the most chaotic live podcast of all time.

Or a virtual book club, or a webinar, or really anything else you want. Once you start the stream, you get to choose where on Facebook it's shared and who can watch. You can add new guests mid-broadcast and if someone is being an unruly guest, you can kick them out, too. This will start rolling out in "some countries" on Thursday, according to Facebook, so don't be surprised if you don't get it right away. Eventually, it'll be available everywhere.

Zoom also allows its users to broadcast things to Facebook Live, so it makes sense for Facebook to undercut that with its own built-in feature. Messenger Rooms launched earlier this year in the midst of the pandemic. Our reviewer Brenda Stolyar praised it for allowing 50 people in the same room with no time limit, all for free. That said, like everything Facebook does, there are privacy concerns to worry about. Be vigilant, folks.