Social isolation is now a reality for many of us but there has never been a better time to use free technology to stay in touch with loved ones.
Video calls with friends and family will be an essential tool to maintain good mental health and relationships.
Social isolation is now a reality for many of us but there has never been a better time to use free technology to stay in touch with loved ones.
What Is Video Calling?
Video calling is just like a regular phone call, except you can see the person you’re calling and they can see you.
It’s easy to do with your smart phone, tablet or computer and you can make video calls wherever you have internet access.
So here is our guide to the top five free platforms.
1) FaceTime From Apple
Many people have iPhones and FaceTime is Apple's integrated video calling facility.
You can use it from any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Mac, to call anyone else using any one of those devices. This makes FaceTime perfect for seeing and hearing family and friends at this tough time.
You can see an in-depth guide on FaceTime here.
2) Facebook
Again many people are on Facebook and use the Messenger app which allows for video calling. You can use it from any smart phone, tablet or computer as long as it's connected to the internet.
This step by step guide is very handy if you're new to it.
3) WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a very common internet calling solution that many people use as it allows you to share images via wifi without using your phone's 4G or paying via text. It also has very good video calling. It is only an app though and not available on a PC or Mac.
This guide talks you through how to video chat on WhatsApp.
4) Skype
The free version of Skype works well for families and small teams with less than 10 total members. It's a good tool if you need a simple way to video chat from your computer, phone, or tablet and allows you to have smaller group video meetings as well as 1-1 conversations. You can also share your screen which is good for tutorials.
Another great step by step guide here.
5) Zoom
Zoom provides simple and easy setup of meetings via a personal meeting room. You can quickly create and share a private meeting link with an individual or team and connect remote team members through video. It is used more for business but still offers a very good free platform for friends and family. It's available in both app and computer form. This handy list of help articles will get you started.
At this difficult time do use live video streaming to connect with loved ones.
StreamWorks offer professional live video streaming services to businesses in the UK. For more info about our work please click here.