Tech giant Facebook has launched a new feature on its Messenger attachment, which allows people to stream real-time video to other people, using smartphones.

The feature, Instant Video, allows people to stream real-time video and audio to people using Messenger, and follows on from its hugely successful launch of Facebook Live earlier this year.

The social network company released a blog post saying: "We're excited to launch Instant Video, letting you to put a smile on the faces of those people who matter most in your life."

"Video is a regular part of everyday life," it says, "whether we're sharing it, preserving it or chatting with it."

People who want to start using Instant Video right away need to have the most up-to-date version of Messenger for iOS or Android, and tap the video icon in the right

Audio is turned off by default but can easily be turned on again, and the video floats over your text conversation so you can continue talking while seeing each other.