Back in June, Instagram launched support for video chat through its in-app direct messaging system. Originally, the feature supported video chats of up to four people, but today Instagram group video calling has been expanded with support for up to six people.
With today’s update to Instagram group video calling, up to six people can now join a single call. As has always been the case, you can minimize a video call and continue scrolling throughout the app, and calls are initiated through the direct message interface of the Instagram app. The upgrade to support for six people was revealed through Instagram’s support page.
Here’s how to start Instagram group video calling with your friends:
To start a video chat, swipe into your Direct inbox and open any message thread. Tap the new camera icon in the right corner, and the video chat will ring your friends’ phones so they don’t miss it. While on the video chat, you can minimize the video and multitask on Instagram, sending messages and photos in Direct, browsing your feed, posting a story and more.
Of course, Apple is also beta testing group video calling through FaceTime with iOS 12.1. Group FaceTime supports video calling with up to 32 participants. The feature was originally expected to be included with iOS 12, but Apple pulled it towards the end of the beta testing process. The feature has returned with iOS 12.1, though.
Have you tried Instagram group video calling or are you holding out for Group FaceTime? Let us know down in the comments!
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