As a part of the recent F8 conference, Facebook outlined its planned integration of live video chat which can run simultaneously while navigating within Instagram or WhatsApp.

View, chat, call

A new camera icon will start appearing in Direct message conversations that will initiate a real-time video call that can be held between individual contacts, or in groups of four or less.

Instagram currently allows you to message anyone on the platform, regardless of whether they follow you or not. We're assuming the video calls will come with privacy settings to curb unwanted contact.

WhatsApp already tested

Over 2 billion minutes of one-on-one video calls have already been logged between users, making the addition of group calls a natural step for the messaging platform.

Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp are all jockeying to be your primary platform for video chatting. Happily for Facebook, it owns all of them.

Whether each platform will offer distinctive features remains to be seen, but the winds of standardisation may be in the air.

What do you think of the trend of video calling services? Which platform would you be inclined to use? Let us know in our comments below.