Facebook launches App that lets you make free phone calls

The internal R&D group of Facebook, the NPE Team, has launched a new app that makes it easier for friends and families ( in the US to begin with) to coordinate phone calls or set up group voice calls for up to 8 people.

While there are a number of group chat apps available to users today, what makes  it unique is that it can tell you when users are available for chat, though you can do audio-only, not video calls. Moreover, it will not need a Facebook account to use the service — the app works with the list of contacts on your phone.

Facebook explains the intention of the app is to address one of the key reasons people don’t make phone calls anymore — they don’t know when someone has time to talk and don’t want to interrupt. Meanwhile, calls that can not be answered go to voicemails that don’t bother the recipients’ checking, which instead forces communication to go through text messaging or chat apps. And while video chats are on the rise, a phone call is often more convenient as users aren’t always ready for video, or try multi-tasking, not sitting in front of a screen.

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