Skip to main content

Facebook Messenger for iPhone updated with free calling support

screen568x568Just a week after Facebook added group management to its Messenger app, the social network is out with yet another update to the messaging service: free calls for everyone.

The feature allows you to call your Facebook friends who also have the app over WiFi for free (you can call over cellular as well, but this uses data, of course). Free calling is especially beneficial to users who communicate internationally as calling rates tend to get pricey in that area.

Messaging threads now include a phone icon for prompting calls from the app, and the actual phone user interface resembles the native iOS Phone UI prior to iOS 7.1 introducing a tweaked design to the Phone app.

Facebook-owned Whatsapp is poised to introduce VOIP support in an upcoming update as well. Screenshots of Whatsapp in-app calling leaked earlier this year.

Facebook Messenger 4.1 is available for free on the App Store.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. Dillon Baio - 10 years ago

    Facebook Messenger has had free calling since January, 2013. For over a year. Not sure why this update highlights this as something new when it’s more than a year old. The only thing new is the phone icon beside the info button instead of in the conversation options, and that’s been like that since at least the previous update. This update today introduced nothing.

    • F Martin (@feramabo) - 10 years ago

      Hey Dillon, only to confirm what you just wrote.

    • Chris (@chriscrk) - 10 years ago

      Yup. I don’t understand this update either. Another blog said that calls were only available in the US, UK, Canada, but I’ve been doing international calls since February and I’m from south america + That new phone icon popped up for me a couple of days ago, without any update.

  2. Sven P. Waddington - 10 years ago

    Pretty pointless to highlight something that already exists over and over again. I’m too live in south america, Brazil to more exact and i’ve been doing the calling thingy since last year’s Q1 (if i correctly remember). So c’mon FB, STOP with the bullcrap and do the same to whatsapp as you promised.

  3. Hello. If I am at home connected to my wifi but my friend is out and using her data on her phone, does it cost either of us anything if I phone her?
    Thanks

  4. Hany Adel - 10 years ago

    Not working I tried many times but invain

  5. Marie Cherry - 9 years ago

    Does it show up on your phone bill?

  6. Shelley Eaton Hudson - 7 years ago

    Does using messenger to make calls show up on phone bill?

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.