Top 10 Video Chat Apps for Android and iOS By James Tredwell on July 13, 2019 Smartphones have gotten faster, better, and stronger over the years. Just like the Daft Punk and Kanye West song. One of the things that smartphones have consistently improved on is camera quality. These days, most phones come equipped with a dual or triple back camera, powered by AI in many cases. Others even have dual front cameras for the perfect selfie. So is it any wonder that video calls have increased significantly? 10 Best Video Chat Apps for Android and iOS With better smartphones and better cameras, it was only obvious that video calling would gain popularity. These days most people have multiple video chat apps installed on their phones. Videos offer a better way of communicating with friends and family across the world. Video calls are the next evolutionary step in traditional telephonic conversations. Until we get Star Wars-style holographic calls, video is our best bet. It’s fast and instantaneous. It is also cheap, which is a winner for me, even with the Spectrum internet assist program I’m enrolled in. There are billions of smartphone users across the globe. This means the corresponding number of apps on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store is also huge. There are hundreds, if not thousands of apps for everything, including video calling. Choosing the right one can be confusing, or downright frustrating. Luckily, we’ve narrowed your choices down to the 10 following apps available both on Android and iOS: Whatsapp Instagram Facebook Messenger IMO Viber Duo Skype Hangouts WeChat Tango Let’s take a closer look at what makes these apps perfect for video calling. WhatsApp WhatsApp originally started out as an instant messaging platform. In time, it became more intuitive to use WhatsApp to contact someone rather than a traditional text message. WhatsApp is in use on billions of smartphones and is extremely popular. Owned by Facebook, WhatsApp began offering voice calls as an expansion on its original idea. From there, it was only a small step to offering video calling. WhatsApp is immensely popular because: It’s free to use It allows for in-app customization It lets you share documents, images, videos, and contacts It also works on PC End-to-end encryption Instagram Instagram is another Facebook-owned app that started life as an image-sharing platform. It now lets you share images and videos, add stories from your daily life, and place catchy captions. Instagram lets you follow people that you would like to stay updated on. As a video calling app, Instagram has recently gained a lot of popularity. Some of the reasons for this include: Simultaneously call up to 4 people at a time Multi-task during video calls Send video messages Facebook Messenger The number 3 spot on our list goes to yet another Facebook app. This time, it’s Facebook Messenger. Most smartphone users who use Facebook also use the Facebook Messenger app, meaning it has a huge user base. All you need to use it is your Facebook account. Facebook Messenger has a number of excellent features that make it a good choice for video calling. Some of these include: Instantly connect with contacts using either their phone numbers or their names Add quirky augmented reality filters to your video calls and video messages Free to use and has cross-platform compatibility IMO Imo is a simple, easy-to-use app that doesn’t take up much space on your phone. The app does what it’s meant to do without any fuss or fanfare. It allows users to make video and voice calls for free. All it needs to function is a Wi-Fi or mobile internet connection. Some of the reasons imo makes it to our list include: Efficient data consumption on voice and video calling Supports group calls and messaging Works across all devices End-to-end encryption for voice calls, video calls, and messages Viber Viber originally started out with a feature that WhatsApp added much later: free voice calls. Since 2013, the app has seen over 11 million downloads on both Android and iOS devices. Over the years, the app has continued to improve and add new features, including video calls. Included among its many quirky features are: Automatic encryption for texts, voice calls, and video calls Ability to hide sensitive messages and access them later Free international voice and video calls over an internet connection Duo Google Duo is one of the more recent apps on this list, but it still packs a hefty punch. Many have called it the best video calling app of the year. Duo features a simple and intuitive user interface. All you have to do is log in with your Google account and verify your phone number. After that, you are free to make video and voice calls the same way you make standard phone calls. The app is wildly popular because: Intuitive and simple UI Clearer and more reliable video calls even without internet Option to check who is calling before answering Skype Everybody knows what Skype is. It is one of the oldest and most popular video and voice calling platforms in internet history. Owned by Microsoft, Skype was originally just a PC application. However, with the rising popularity of smartphones, Skype soon offered its own Android and iOS app. Skype is and will continue to remain popular because: It is free to use You can purchase credit to call any device, phone, or landline Share voice messages, images, documents, and videos Hangouts Hangouts is another Google app that is great for video calling and conferencing. The app supports multiple calls at the same time, and all you need to use it is your Google account. Hangouts has gained a lot of popularity over the last few years thanks to: Calling up to 9 people simultaneously Syncs across all your devices Allows easy integration of Google Voice Turn messaging groups into conference calls of up to 10 people WeChat The number nine spot on our list goes to WeChat. WeChat has a steadily growing user base and allows you to connect to people all over the world. The app combines video and voice calling with messaging, image sharing, and video sharing. Some of the reasons to choose WeChat include: Supports around 20 different languages Has a personal photostream for sharing images Assured privacy, TRUSTe certified High-quality video and voice calling Tango Tango gained popularity a few years ago and to date has over 400 million users. The app doesn’t just allow you to make high-quality video calls. It also lets users create live streams that other users can join and watch. You can make your own network of friends on the app based on your settings. Tango comes in at number 10, but it is still a fairly decent app, especially when you consider: Easy switching between voice and video during a call Add friends and connections and follow their feeds Subscribe to interesting sources and stay updated To conclude, video calling isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, unless I miss my guess, it is going to continue to increase in popularity. Video calls aren’t very demanding, so you don’t need a blazing 100 Mbps fast internet connection to make one. All you need is a steady connection and a decent smartphone. Let us know if we missed out any of your favorite apps.
