Finding the Popular Video Chat Apps will also net you the Best.
Video chat APPS work by streaming video simultaneously with voice transmission to give people the ability to talk face to face from almost anywhere in the world.
How Chat APPS are changing Society
Chat APPS have a profound impact on our Youth.
It gives Instant connection.
You can have social connections without delay.
It is like an emotional drug that satisfies your connection needs.
This trains you to need instant gratification, to not wait or think about what is best.
Hard Requirement
No Chat APP or program can work perfectly without a good Internet setup.
This means fast Upload and Download speeds.
Not just for wired connections but really WIFI because that is how most people now Chat. On their Phones.
You can test your interest speed online using a service like speedtest.net
The thing to remember is that if you test your internet speed on the computer the results are for the computer.
Do not expect to then use your tablet via WIFI and have the same speed results, especially if the computer was hard wired.
Other Needs
There are several different types of technology that work together to allow this to happen, including signaling servers, TURN servers, and STUN servers.
These all work through WebRTC (Real Time Communications) to connect individual IP addresses, facilitate the streaming process, and troubleshooting problems that may occur while trying to establish and maintain an audio-video connection.
If you and the person you want to call both use iOS you can use facetime to facilitate your video chat, but that won’t work if one of you has an Android product.
For the purposes of this article, we will concentrate on apps that work no matter which operating system you use.
Top Video Chat APPS
FaceBook CHAT
Facebook introduced the Portal Chat app for their System.
This is consistent with their continuous efforts to make facebook the one stop shop for Social Media.
The Second generation of their portal app is a huge improvement.
Users are using the new system far more than the old, however there are still issues.
Privacy on Facebook has been a concern that grows year over year.
They seem to be the biggest tech company who openly trades user privacy for money.
The flip side is they have a unique product and massive user buy in.
How long will they be able to sustain it ?
Skype Chat APP
Skype is probably the oldest name in online communications that most of us recognize.
It is still one of the most popular and widely distributed audio calling programs out there.
Skype has now added the video chat APP as well.
Skype’s video chat APP is easy to download, free, simple to use, and it works well.
Because Skype has been around for so long, people tend to trust the name and understand what Skype is all about.
This makes it relatively easy to contact people, since almost everyone has Skype.
Google DUO
Google Duo is a relative newcomer to the video APP lineup so a lot fewer people have heard of it.
Duo is nowhere near as commonly used as Skype or some of the other more popular APPs.
It is a free platform as well, though, and has some really great features.
It probably has the best security features of any video chat app on the market.
Google DUO uses WebRTC and end-to-end encryption so you can rest assured that your conversations will not be overheard.
You can use it to send video messages to people – just like voicemail, but with video.
Your contacts don’t even have to have a google account – and neither do you, by the way.
Google Play Services comes pre-installed in all Android devices, this means you can access Google Duo without opening a special account.
All the app needs is your phone number and the country code. iOS users will need to download the APP before they can use it, though.
FB Messenger
Facebook Messenger is another hugely popular video chat app.
FB Chat offers features like easy access for both iOS and Android devices and a simple format that makes using the app effortless.
You can also access it from any device that is capable of running Facebook.
One of its best points is that it is so widely available – after all, who doesn’t have a Facebook account?
WhatsApp also has a lot going for it.
It is widely used – some estimates say that WhatsApp boasts a billion users – and offers all the basic features needed for clear and easy video calling.
It has the ability to switch between Wi-Fi and data usage on its own in order to maintain a connection, rather than dropping a call.
This platform only works on mobile devices, though – if you’re planning to use a desktop for video calling, you’ll need to choose a different provider.
How to Choose One
All of these APPS provide a similar service, with varying degrees of efficiency and ease of use, so choosing between them is mostly a matter of personal preference.
They are not perfect, by any means, though, and users need to be aware of the downsides of using them.
The first big downside is that video chat APPs use a lot of data, so you may want to choose one that allows you to limit the data usage.
Google Duo has that feature, and it will save you some data usage.
is also a relatively light data user, but if data usage is an issue, you might want to stay far away from Skype.
Video Chat Security
Security is another very valid concern with video chat APPs, as well.
People are often concerned with who could be listening in on their conversations, and with good reason – the privacy rights of the average person are nearly non-existent already, and many people are concerned about their information being captured and somehow used to harm them.
Google Duo has good security features, as does WhatsApp.
Anyone who is concerned about privacy can check out such APPs as Viber or LINE, which also offer encryption features.
The best way to choose the video chat APP that is right for you is to download one or two and try them out for a while.
The nice thing about APPs is that if you decide you don’t like one, it’s easy to delete the program from your device and download a different choice.
A little bit of preliminary research can go a long way towards making a choice that you’re happy with, though, and whichever APP you do eventually choose, remember to watch a how-to video (or three) so that you can enjoy all the best features of the APP while avoiding the downsides.
Read our Main Article on Conference Calls to understand your options and limitations.
