Its a lonely world were currently living in, but while you might not be able to see most (or any) of your friends and family face to face, with video calls you can do the next best thing.The good news is theres no shortage of video calling apps to choose from.
The bad news is there are so many video calling apps to choose from that you might struggle to, well, choose one, or avoid landing on a less than optimal one.But that can easily be avoided by opting for one of the apps below.
The ones weve highlighted are all great in their own ways, and well run you through exactly whats good (and in some cases bad) about each of them.Skype(Image credit: Skype)Download: iOS / Android / DesktopSkype is one of the most obvious video calling options and also one of the ones that has been around the longest.
It runs on pretty much every platform under the sun, including Android and iPhone handsets, tablets, Windows and Mac PCs, and even Xbox One, so just about everyone you want to talk to should have access one way or another.It also supports up to 24 video call participants at once, which is more people than you could comfortably get in an average-sized living room, and voice calls and text chats are supported too, for when youre rocking quarantine hair and dont quite feel camera-ready.Houseparty(Image credit: Life on Air Inc)Download: iOS / Android / DesktopHouseparty is a relatively recent addition to the video chat brigade, but it has quickly become very popular, and with good reason.
For one thing, it tries to make video calls as slick and seamless as possible, by alerting you as soon as a friend launches the app, so you know theyre ready to talk.
It will do the same for them when you launch the app, and even turns your camera on.There are also built-in games that you can play with your friends, so it goes beyond conversation.
Though video calls on Houseparty only support up to eight participants, so its not ideal for big groups.FaceTime(Image credit: FaceTime)Download:iOSIf you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac then youre probably already familiar with FaceTime and if you dont then you cant use it, which is its greatest weakness.
Still, assuming you and your friends and family are ensconced in Apples ecosystem, its a great video calling choice.The FaceTime app will already be on your iDevice, meaning you and anyone else able to use FaceTime has very little barrier to entry.
You can have group video calls with up to 32 people at once, start calls direct from the Messages app, and add effects including Animoji and Memoji.
If you and those youre communicating with are Apple users, then FaceTime is arguably the slickest, simplest option.Google Duo(Image credit: Google)Download: iOS / Android / DesktopGoogle Duo is almost as slick as FaceTime it launches the camera as soon as you open the app, ensures video calls never take more than a few taps, and has handy features like Knock Knock, which lets you see the video stream of the person calling before you choose whether to answer.Unlike FaceTime, this isnt exclusive to certain hardware either.
Google Duo works on Android of course, but it also works on iOS.
However, you can only have up to 12 participants in a call, so its more restrictive than the likes of FaceTime and Skype on that front.WhatsApp(Image credit: WhatsApp Inc.)Download: iOS / Android / DesktopYoure probably already using WhatsApp for text chats and maybe even for voice calls, but its also a great video chat platform, as long you only want to talk to up to three people at once, as four people per video call is the limit.But WhatsApp excels in other areas, with a low data use mode (ideal if youre eating up your allowance during lockdown), plus encrypted calls, making it more secure than some options, and desktop and web versions for when you dont want to stare at your phone.Facebook Messenger(Image credit: Facebook Messenger)Download: iOS / Android / DesktopFacebook Messenger is another app that probably wont need any introduction for most people, and while it puts text chat front and center, it also supports video chat.
Calls can have up to eight people, and support face filters and other interactive features, and you can use Facebook Messenger across a range of platforms, including Android, iOS, and via a browser.And because its tied to your Facebook account, if you have one of those you already have a Facebook Messenger account but if you dont and would rather not sign up for one, you can also sign up for Messenger separately on mobile.Other optionsOne of the options above should suit your video calling needs, but if not there are plenty of other possible apps too.Other strong options include Zoom, which supports up to 100 participants, though limits calls on free plans to 40 minutes.
Then theres Google Hangouts, which is Googles business-focused alternative to Duo, but still very viable for friends and family.Theres also Line, which is a lot like WhatsApp putting a big focus on text and voice conversations but also allowing video calls.
You can have up to 200 people on a call, though only four will be displayed on your screen at any given time.YT5nmKE5h2mpd6M8PgmAvH.jpg?#