Instant messaging is one of the main advantages of owning a smartphone. Just ask yourself: what’s better than being able to stay in touch with your family, friends, and coworkers from anywhere you may be in the world?
After the age of text-based instant messaging came and passed, came the era of voice calls, and we’ve seen some developers taking this idea to the bank over the past couple of years (Skype and Whatsapp are the best examples). However, while texts and audio are great and all, it turns out that more bandwidth, better cameras, and more processing power have already ushered in the next awesome feature: video calls.
Best video calling apps for smartphones and tablets
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Although Hangouts comes pre-installed on most Android devices, the app is also available on iOS, which is invaluable if you want to place video calls between the two predominant mobile platforms.
Aside from the ability to place video calls to any person in your contact list, Hangouts also allows up to 10 users to join in on a group call. This feature makes Hangouts the perfect app if you want to engage in a video conversation with your entire family at the same time. Note that there are other apps out there that allow for group video chats, but Hangouts it’s the most popular app to offer this feature.
Now that we’ve covered the default video calling apps on both Android and iOS, it’s time to look for third-party alternatives. We’ll start with Viber, a popular messaging app that added video calling back in 2014.
Viber adds an interesting twist to the mix, allowing the user to choose between sending a pre-made video in a chat session or engaging in a live video chat. Aside from its newfound video calling capabilities, Viber also allows you to send stickers, messages, photos, voice messages, or even share your location.
Viber is an all-purpose messaging app if we’ve ever seen one, although the interface is probably less intuitive than it should be. As an example, you can’t start a video call directly; instead, you have to place a new call and then select the video option from the app.
Our last pick is the most unpopular video calling app on this list. Imo is not the complete messaging app that Hangouts or Skype claim to be, but it’s still a solid pick if you’re only looking for a quick way to place and receive video.
Imo has a simple and intuitive user interface that allows the user to place a video call right from the contacts view. While we love that a simple tap is enough to get a video call started, the app definitely needs some extra features before it can become a well-rounded competitor in the messaging app market.
Best video calling apps for smartphones and tablets
1. FaceTime
On iPhones, FaceTime can be accessed right from the contacts app, which helps a lot with placing quick video calls without going through a bunch of extra hurdles. Furthermore, the video calls run buttery smooth and you’re unlikely to see dropped calls when using the app.
On the downside, FaceTime lacks the bells and whistles of other apps on this list, especially if you’re looking for a complete messaging app, not just a quick way of placing video calls.
2. Google Hangouts
Although Hangouts comes pre-installed on most Android devices, the app is also available on iOS, which is invaluable if you want to place video calls between the two predominant mobile platforms.
Aside from the ability to place video calls to any person in your contact list, Hangouts also allows up to 10 users to join in on a group call. This feature makes Hangouts the perfect app if you want to engage in a video conversation with your entire family at the same time. Note that there are other apps out there that allow for group video chats, but Hangouts it’s the most popular app to offer this feature.
3. Viber
Now that we’ve covered the default video calling apps on both Android and iOS, it’s time to look for third-party alternatives. We’ll start with Viber, a popular messaging app that added video calling back in 2014.
Viber adds an interesting twist to the mix, allowing the user to choose between sending a pre-made video in a chat session or engaging in a live video chat. Aside from its newfound video calling capabilities, Viber also allows you to send stickers, messages, photos, voice messages, or even share your location.
Viber is an all-purpose messaging app if we’ve ever seen one, although the interface is probably less intuitive than it should be. As an example, you can’t start a video call directly; instead, you have to place a new call and then select the video option from the app.
4. Skype
5. Imo
Our last pick is the most unpopular video calling app on this list. Imo is not the complete messaging app that Hangouts or Skype claim to be, but it’s still a solid pick if you’re only looking for a quick way to place and receive video.
Imo has a simple and intuitive user interface that allows the user to place a video call right from the contacts view. While we love that a simple tap is enough to get a video call started, the app definitely needs some extra features before it can become a well-rounded competitor in the messaging app market.
On iPhones, FaceTime can be accessed right from the contacts app, which helps a lot with placing quick video calls without going through a bunch of extra hurdles. Furthermore, the video calls run buttery smooth and you’re unlikely to see dropped calls when using the app.
On the downside, FaceTime lacks the bells and whistles of other apps on this list, especially if you’re looking for a complete messaging app, not just a quick way of placing video calls.