6 best video chat apps for friends and family

Intro

COVID is hard. Video chat apps help.

When the lockdown hit in March there was a fast shift to video chat, and for good reason. All in-person socializing disappeared nearly overnight and left people all alone like never before. Socialization is a necessary part of mental health, and video chat is the most personable way to socialize virtually. Let’s look at the best video chat apps to help keep friends and family connected.

Best Video Chat Apps

Facetime is likely the most commonly used video chat app for friends and family chatting in the United States. Apple’s default video chat is very streamlined for calling anyone in your phone book, without needing to download and learn any new apps. Facetime is especially convenient for those using iOS across phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. This is because you can accept (and make) calls from any device that’s logged in with your Apple ID. And of course it’s free.

The first major downside of Facetime is that it doesn’t work for your friends and family who aren’t using iOS. In that case, you’ll need a different option. The second downside of Facetime is that you usually have to text people before calling. Otherwise you may be interupting them with an unannounced call.

Facetime is likely the most commonly used video chat app for friends and family chatting in the United States. Apple’s default video chat is very streamlined for calling anyone in your phone book, without needing to download and learn any new apps. Facetime is especially convenient for those using iOS across phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. This is because you can accept (and make) calls from any device that’s logged in with your Apple ID. And of course it’s free.

The first major downside of Facetime is that it doesn’t work for your friends and family who aren’t using iOS. In that case, you’ll need a different option. The second downside of Facetime is that you usually have to text people before calling. Otherwise you may be interupting them with an unannounced call.

Google Duo boasts the highest quality of video calling apps. With good quality among most options, there may be a bigger benefit at play. Duo works on a variety on iPhones AND Androids, as well as tablets and computers. And it’s also free. Finally, Google Duo can also send voice or video notes to leave a message for people. That can be nice if you want alternative communication options on the same platform.

The primary downside is that iPhone users often don’t have Google Duo. It’s too similar to Facetime. So unless they often talk to Android users, they usually stick to Facetime. This means fewer people are on Duo. As with Facetime, there’s also a common expectation to message first rather than cold call. This means you may not be able to connect right when you want to, or you may initiate a game of phone tag.

Kovii is more so a smart phone book than a video chat app. A regular phone book lets you call people. Kovii lets you know when to call people, without having to schedule a time. It does this by allowing users to mark themselves available to who they want, when they want. It’s like offering a passive invite to be called. People can also set a status to let others know what they may be in the mood to talk about. With Kovii you can forgo the “is it a good time to call?” texts. Instead you know that whoever appears on your available contacts, has intentionally made themselves available to YOU. Kovii lets you control your own availability to others by grouping your contacts into Circles. For example people can be available to coworkers and clients when at work, and to friends and family in the evening. People can also choose to be notified when certain contacts become available.

Kovii requires some engagement on the user’s side to mark oneself available. You also can’t call a specific person at any time you want. If someone isn’t available to you, you can’t call them at that moment. But if you have a free 30 min and you want to chat with any one of your good friends, you can do that. You’ll know they also want to talk, and there’s no fear of starting a round of phone tag.

Kovii breaks down barriers to connect, since there’s no worry about interrupting others with an unwelcomed cold call.

Zoom is well known in the business community. It works well on different systems and schedulers. It’s also best for large groups of users accessing a meeting via a shared URL. But those benefits are mostly business oriented. We’re here to talk about connecting with friends and family. Here, Zoom works well for scheduling reoccurring get-togethers among a family or friend group. This is great for those who want a fixed time to come together as a group. A link can be shared to access the chat, and people can access it from a variety of devices.

There are a few downsides to Zoom. First, sharing links to access seems simple but often times people lose track of them. Each week, you have to dig around your emails and texts to remember how to get into the meeting. Second, fixed times for calls creates a few hurdles. Finding a time that works for a group is a challenge. And once a time is picked, people’s schedules change and it’s inconvenient to feel locked into a set call time week after week. And lastly, group calls can have the effect of the few dominant people controlling the entire conversation. Then, the more reserved people have a hard time contributing to the conversation, leaving them feeling unsatisfied by the social engagement. Many of these issues are inherent to any group call.

When using Zoom, give ample opportunities and encouragement to the more reserved people to participate in the conversation. Keeping that in mind, group calls are great for keeping friends and family connected.

Marco Polo is a misfit on this list. It’s not a video calling app like the others. It’s a video messaging app. People record video clips, and send them as messages to individuals or groups. Marco Polo is a compromise between the personable, real-time connection of video calls, and the convenience of anytime text messaging. Text messages lack emotion. Calls are hard to coordinate times. Marco Polo is one solution to those deficiencies, and is a great option for keeping your friends and family connected.

The biggest downside is that Marco Polo isn’t real-time calling. Video clips do make stronger connections than text, but the conversation is broken in time. It works well for being interactive, but doesn’t work for instantaneous feedback or time-efficient conversation. In using Marco Polo you also have the hurdle of getting your friends to use the app. Apple Messages and most other messaging apps also have video message capability. Knowing this, people can be hesitant to download yet another app.

Facebook Messenger shines brightest in accessibility, particularly with new friends and acquaintances. This is because you don’t need someone’s phone number to connect. You just need to find them on Facebook. It’s an easy transition between sending texts on Messenger, to making a call. And, with Messenger Rooms you can connect with groups and use easy controls for who’s invited and how. You can share links, or create a guest list, or even post the room to your Facebook for any friend to find.

People usually default to using other video chat apps. Perhaps because they simply don’t think of Messenger when they want to make a call. However, most people can and will use Messenger if someone else prompts them to use that channel.

Closing thoughts on the best video chat apps

Which is your favorite?

With different applications, most of us use several on this list. But our favorite is obviously Kovii 😉  If you haven’t given it a try yet, now is the time!

Let us know in the comments which video chat apps are your favorite, and why you find them special!