Difficult to live isolated and far from loved ones. Your Android smartphone can help you keep in touch with friends and family. Here is our selection of the 5 best applications to see communicate with loved ones on video..
Keeping eye contact with family and friends
The government has put in place a whole series of rules to fight coronavirus. It is for example forbidden to circulate in the streets or to go shopping except the basic necessities.
In this period of confinement, it is essential to limit physical contact with friends and family. Fortunately, technology can help. In the absence of a teleportation system, video calling remains the only way to keep eye contact with loved ones..
We offer you a selection of the best Android apps for calling loved ones on video. These tools allow you to see and hear your friends without moving. And the good news is that most of these applications are easily accessible even when you're not very tech-savvy.
WhatsApp
We start with a heavyweight in the sector. The WhatsApp app is definitely one of the best video chat apps for Android. It is available for free on the Play Store. And icing on the cake, it is possible to use the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices..
- To make video calls using WhatsApp, check that your smartphone is connected to the internet (Wi-Fi or 4G)
- Launch the application
- Click on the discussions tab
- Select the contact with whom you wish to start a videoconference
- Press the camera-shaped button
- Wait a few seconds
- Your correspondent's face should appear on your phone screen
- Press (if you wish) the rotation icon to change the camera for broadcasting your images
In the event of a problem, you will need to make sure that you and your contact have the latest version of WhatsApp. Note that the WhatsApp Web service does not allow you to launch video calls directly from your computer.
Either way, WhatsApp's video conferencing service works great. The application also offers the possibility of sending photos, GIFs, text messages, multimedia files and stickers. Another very important point, WhatsApp does not display any advertisements.
Skype
Skype, Microsoft's communication software is still one of the benchmarks in Internet telephony today. Besides, his name has become so popular all over the world that it has fallen into common parlance in the same way as Frigidaire, Scotch, Mobylette or Post-it.
The big advantage of this communication tool is that it is cross-platform (Mac, Windows, Android, iOS). Whatever device you use, you can keep in touch with your loved ones. Skype even has a web platform accessible from any recent web browser. Very useful, for people who do not want to install the software on their computer.
Skype offers a multitude of features such as video calls, voice communications and video messages. Besides important detail, the videoconferencing system accepts up to 50 participants. Enough to easily make video aperitifs or work meetings.
FaceTime
If your family or friends have an Apple device (Mac, iPhone, iPad) why bother downloading and installing a third-party application? With FaceTime software, you have all the equipment you need to chat with your loved ones via a screen.
The application is natively integrated into all Apple products. Whether you have an iPhone, iPad and or Mac, just click on the green camera icon to hold a video conference. Here you will find all the useful tips for starting a group conversation on FaceTime.
But beware, the FaceTime communication service only works on Apple devices. There is no solution to access the firm's video chat with the apple from an Android phone or a PC.
Facebook Messenger
Facebook has no less than 37 million active users in France. There is no doubt that among these members, there are readers of TechnoWikis. If this is your case, then why not opt for the Facebook Messenger application. This will save you from going through the tedious step of creating a new email account.
Like its competitors, it is free and can be used on iOS (iPhone, iPad) as well as on Android or from a web browser via Facebook.com. Note that the application is also capable of managing text messages. Here you will find the procedure for sending SMS from Facebook Messenger.
Google Duo
It is certainly the least known application of this selection. And yet it is a tool offering immediate handling. The very intuitive interface allows you to make video calls very quickly.
There is also a shortcut in Android Message (SMS manager) to start a conversation without launching the video chat application. The other little extra concerns the Knock Knock function. Once activated, the latter allows you to see the person calling you on video even when your smartphone is ringing.
- Launch the Google Duo app
- Click on the Menu button in the upper right corner of the screen
- Click on Settings then on Knock Knock
- Check the box or press the switch to activate the function
Note that the person calling you will only be able to see your face if you pick up the phone. In addition, for security reasons, this option only works with people registered in your address book.
