SAN FRANCISCO • Facebook has introduced a videoconferencing tool and expanded livestreaming features, capitalising on a surge in demand for video chats during the coronavirus pandemic, while taking its first steps towards a planned integration of messaging products across its apps.

The videoconferencing tool, Messenger Rooms, will enable as many as 50 people to participate in a call, the company said in a statement on Friday.

It will display a tiled layout of participant videos - up to 16 on desktop and eight on mobile - resembling the design offered by competitor Zoom.

Facebook users will be able to share links enabling non-users to join Rooms via a Web browser on both desktop and mobile, eliminating requirements to download an app or create an account as on other services. There will be no time limits on the calls.

With the launch, Facebook joins a crowded field of companies rushing to dominate the market for video meetings, as millions of people locked in their homes around the world are suddenly reliant on these tools for work, school and social life.

Meanwhile, United States regulators on Friday welcomed a "historic" US$5 billion (S$7.1 billion) settlement with Facebook over data privacy as the social network said it was already implementing the provisions of the deal.

The deal between the leading social network and the US Federal Trade Commission became official with the approval on Thursday of a federal judge.

Along with the fine, the settlement announced last July requires Facebook to ramp up privacy protections, provide detailed quarterly reports on compliance with the deal, and have an independent oversight board.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE