Video Chat Apps

With the Holidays approaching many people will try to share their holiday with family and friends electronically. Today I will look at some options to video chat with friends or relatives and discuss their strengths and weaknesses.

Facebook Messenger

Strength: Easy to Use and Multi-platform (iOS, Android, and web browsers)

Weakness: One on One only UPDATE: 12/20 You can now chat with groups (see also: https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/19/messenger-group-video-chat/ ) Setting up a Facebook account if they don’t have one

FaceTime

Strength: Easy to Use

Weakness: Apple Devices Only and only one person at a time

Google Hangouts

Strength: Multiplatform (iOS, Android, Web browser plug-in) and up to nine people at a time

Weakness: Requires a Google Account (which may be a hurtle for less tech inclined relatives)

Skype

Strength: Multiplatform (iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, Linux),  up to 25 people at a time

Weakness: It can act wonky in my experience; users have to set-up an account; users receive spam

Personally, I use Google Hangouts with friends and my siblings but my older relatives and wife prefer FaceTime because they have Apple devices and it is as easy as answering the phone. If you wanted to share your holiday with all your friends, family, and acquaintances on Facebook you can use Facebook’s new Facebook Live feature that it has been advertising. It will also allow people to watch it after the event but it is more like broadcasting video than chatting and you might consider it too intrusive.