{"id":4852,"date":"2017-01-23T11:59:24","date_gmt":"2017-01-23T19:59:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/?p=4852"},"modified":"2023-01-11T15:49:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T23:49:28","slug":"step-future-video-calling-apps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/step-future-video-calling-apps\/","title":{"rendered":"Step Into The Future With Video Calling Apps"},"content":{"rendered":"

I remember watching science fiction shows as a kid and being captivated by their depictions of crazy, futuristic technology. Spaceships, robots, and video calling on handheld devices! Boy, it was exciting to think about all the cool stuff people were supposed to have in the distant 21st century.<\/p>\n

Well, the future is here, and we actually get to use a lot of that \u201ccrazy\u201d stuff. I don\u2019t have a spaceship or a robot (yet), but I do use video calling apps all the time. Most work delightfully well\u2014even for us simple earthlings. Here are three popular apps I rely on regularly. Each offers a simple interface for easy video calling using either Wi-Fi or your network connection. They also all work cross-platform, so you can call someone on your phone and they can answer using their tablet or PC (or vice-versa.)<\/p>\n

FaceTime<\/a> is Apple\u2019s built-in video chat for iPhone. It\u2019s already integrated within iOS and your Phone app, meaning there\u2019s no additional software to download or advanced setup needed\u2014you simply place a call, choose the \u201cFacetime\u201d icon (which looks like a video camera), and you\u2019re off! Your front facing camera will be activated to show you, and if the person you\u2019re calling also has an iPhone, you\u2019ll be able to see them on your screen.<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s Hangouts<\/a> can be used with any Android device, many of which come with the app pre-loaded, or an iPhone. If you don\u2019t have it, you can download it for free. With Hangouts, you can make video calls linking up to ten participants. It\u2019s an especially handy app to use with tablets, and lets you make video calls quickly with just a few taps on your screen.<\/p>\n

Skype<\/a> has been around for more than 10 years now, and is among the most popular video calling apps, with over 250 million users worldwide. Once you\u2019ve downloaded it, Skype is extremely user-friendly; you simply select the phone number or user name of the person you want to call, and then tap a video camera icon to get started. Like Hangouts, Skype works on both Android devices and iPhones.<\/p>\n

Video calling is an awesome way to get up close and personal with your friends and family members. The best part is that you no longer have to be Captain Kirk or Jane Jetson to do it! If you haven\u2019t tried it but want to, you\u2019ll be well served by any of the apps discussed here. Choose whichever one offers the interface and features you\u2019re most comfortable with, and get connected face-to-face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I remember watching science fiction shows as a kid and being captivated by their depictions of crazy, futuristic technology. Spaceships, robots, and video calling on handheld devices! Boy, it was exciting to think about all the cool stuff people were supposed to have in the distant 21st century. Well, the future is here, and we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":4853,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nStep Into the Future with Video Calling Apps<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Video calling is an awesome way to get up close and personal with your friends and family members. Here are some options to consider.\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.consumercellular.com\/blog\/step-future-video-calling-apps\/\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Susan Thomas\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Step Into the Future with Video Calling Apps","description":"Video calling is an awesome way to get up close and personal with your friends and family members. 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