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Whether you reside in the same city or live thousands of miles away, video calls are the best way to stay connected with your loved ones. When the world shut down in 2020, video calls allowed people to see their family members, be virtually present on special occasions, and work from their homes.
Social messaging platforms allow the freedom to hop in and out of calls, text anyone globally, and send private media on various channels. Businesses have adopted practices using these platforms to connect socially, and even everyday users may already use several social apps on their phones. However, depending on your goals, you may be looking for secure and confidential texting apps while still offering a seamless experience with video calls is challenging to find.
Best free apps for video calling in 2024
Don't miss any precious moment with these video calling apps on your phone and desktop
Although in-person interactions remain superior to virtual ones, it's not always feasible. Most users prefer video calling apps on their top Android phones to stay in touch with long-distance relatives and friends. It's also a practical solution for managing and communicating with team members from several regions worldwide.
Brave Browser lives up to its name, picks one more fight with Google
They're going to try to make a video chat platform
The privacy-focused browser Brave has just unveiled its new video conferencing platform Brave Talk after a year-long beta phase, built on top of the open-source video meeting platform Jitsi. Like its other products such as Brave Search and News, it's meant to be as private as possible and can only be fully used through the Brave Browser.
Telegram's latest beta includes a screen sharing tool: here's how to try it out
Plus video playback speeds and more
It's no secret that Telegram development moves at 10x the speed of other messengers. No sooner had we learned about some new features than we discover there's a newer update with even more interesting things to try. This is the case today with an update to Telegram beta, which brings a bunch of interesting additions like video playback speed controls and screen sharing — though the latter seems very buggy for now.
Viber messenger ups group video call limit once again (APK Download)
Now you can video call up to 30 people at once for free
Viber might not be a de-facto standard like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, but the platform still has a loyal following of at least 500 million people on Android alone. Like most of its competitors, it quickly upped the group video call cap at the beginning of the pandemic, but the service isn't done — in a Play Store update note, it has revealed that you can now make video calls with up to 30 participants at once, rather than 20.
Tip: Google Assistant 'call' commands are contextual, and work in WhatsApp and Duo
Only on the new Assistant, though
The new minimal Google Assistant that launched with the Pixel 4 (and is now available on the 4a, 4a 5G, and 5 too) has several tricks up its sleeve. It can answer contextual commands inside Chrome and reply to messages in apps like WhatsApp and Messages, among other features, but what we didn't know is that its call placing abilities are also dependent on the app you're using.
Google Duo's new-old feature lets you secretly swing by the toilet during a call
It finally gets its video off button back
Back in November 2019, Google reworked Duo's in-call interface and moved the controls to the bottom, making them more easily accessible on larger screens. Surprisingly, when the change rolled out to all users, the video off toggle vanished from the bottom bar and was nowhere to be found. After being gone for months, Google appears to be gradually bringing it back, letting you turn your camera off during a call.
Facebook Messenger's Watch Together will let you — do we really need to spell this out?
Watch your friends cry at puppy videos in real time
We're all trying to feel more connected online these days — the loneliness is strong. Sometimes the group chats and video calls aren't enough, and you wish you could just sit back and watch videos with your friends. Luckily for you, Facebook is continuing its trend of personal connection updates with the launch of Watch Together, a feature that will allow you to view videos simultaneously with a group.
We've been using video calls more than ever in the past few months, and probably will continue to for the foreseeable future. It's tough not being able to travel to see your loved ones, but Google is making things a bit easier by announcing beta Android TV support for its Duo video calling service.
Happy 4th Birthday, Google Duo! May you live to see the 5th one 😒
Knock Knock. Who's there? Google Me. Google Me who? Google Meet, and I'm gunning for your job.
Google Duo is celebrating its fourth birthday today; well, technically it was yesterday, but weekends don't count in the summer. While it couldn't throw a big party with an inflatable bounce house, a trampoline, a water slide, or a creepy clown — quarantine obliges — that didn't stop us from baking a special cake for the occasion and inviting all its friends over for a socially-distanced video chat. Allo couldn't make it, Hangouts is still recovering from the continuous blows it has received, and only Meet showed up, parading like the latest miracle child.
Telegram users can finally make video calls starting with v7.0
It's still an alpha, so expect bugs and slowness
It's been more than four years since Telegram added support for voice calls, and in the time since, everyone has been asking, "What about videos?" The feature's absence has been even more annoying in recent months, given quarantine measures and people's need to stay in touch with friends and family. The wait is finally over, as Telegram just rolled out an experimental alpha release of video calls with Android app version 7.
Looking sharp for your next video call just got a whole new meaning with Google Duo's latest addition. To celebrate the dry summer, the app is rolling out a fun new AR effect that lets you transform yourself into a cactus.
Google Duo's AR effects can be applied in group video calls and before starting a call
Knock Knock with a little surprise
Read update
Google Duo offers a lot of fun effects when you're on a video call, but until now, you could apply them in an ongoing one-on-one call. With the latest app updates, it's possible to pick an effect before the other person responds, as a fun surprise for them. Effects are also live in group video chats.
Household contacts are rolling out to Google Assistant speakers and smart displays
Let anyone in the house call your common friends or family members
Along with its announcement of group Duo and Meet video calling on the Nest Hub Max and select other smart displays, Google yesterday mentioned that it was beginning to roll out the household contacts feature, which had been promised since January, to Assistant speakers and displays. Today, the option showed up on our Lenovo Smart Displays and Google Nest Hubs, and appears to be making its way to more and more users.
The Nest Hub Max now supports Meet and Duo group video calling
Duo group calls are also coming to other smart displays
When Google introduced the Nest Hub Max, it came with a built-in camera and microphone that allowed for two-way video calling. Sadly, it was only possible to have one-to-one sessions until now, meaning you couldn't join conferences from your smart display. The company is now expanding the device's capabilities by enabling you to join group calls straight from your Hub Max.
Over the last few months, the popularity of videoconferencing services like Zoom has exploded. With so many of us working at home and unable to visit friends or family, video calls are a close (or distant) second when it comes to both work meetings and general human contact. Now that Google is stepping up its own competition against Zoom, we're curious to know which video call or conferencing services you might use.
Google Duo support for 32-person calls is now live in Chrome
Over twice as many people as the previous limit
Google has made good on its earlier promise to expand the number of participants in Duo video calls. Support for up to 32-person calls is now rolling out for Duo on Chrome, ramping up the platform's ability to scale to compete with Zoom calls.
You can now invite anyone to join a Google Duo group video call with a simple link
The feature that was missing
The last few months have seen a skyrocketing use of video calling, be it for work or personal communication. Some services, like Zoom or Google Meet, made joining calls easier for groups of people by simply sharing a link, and now Duo is catching up to them.
Google would really like to remind you that all Duo calls are end-to-end encrypted
The app has also added an option to send emojis
Since its launch in 2016, Google Duo has used end-to-end encryption for calls, messages, notes, and all kinds of communications carried through it. That encryption is one of the reasons we recommend using Duo to catch up with friends and family, but most users may not be aware of it. Now Google is boasting this privacy-centric approach for everyone to see, and while it's at it, it added the option to send more emojis to your contacts.