What to Use for Group Video Calls Instead of Facetime
Last week, Apple canceled one of its key FaceTime features that should have dropped with iOS 12 and macOS Mojave this fall: group video chat. The feature, which kept you and up to 31 friends away from eye contact through their phones and laptops, was removed from beta versions of each OS last week and will reportedly launch at a later date.
This delay is a bummer. As our friends at Gizmodo pointed out when this feature was announced, Facetime looks very intuitive and the ability to make giant group calls will only make it that much more attractive for active socialites and work conference calls. Regardless, it’s not really a big loss because there are already many apps and services that you can use to make group video calls on your iPhone or Mac. Below are the best options to play with while Apple keeps us waiting:
Facebook Messenger ( Internet , iOS , Android )
Maximum number of subscribers: 50 (six on the screen at the same time)
If you have the Facebook Messenger app, you already have one of the most versatile video chat apps out there. Since there is a good chance that you are already connected to the people you want to call with on Facebook, this is an easy way to get people to the cross-platform app that almost everyone is already using. To get started, simply set up a group chat in Messenger and click the camera icon to turn a group text chat into a group video chat.
The messenger is easy to use, but not perfect. The service supports up to 50 people in a single video call, but Messenger only shows six screens, including the person who is currently talking (or whose dog is barking right into his phone), so the grand nature of one giant video chat may not be reflected on your screen.
Google Hangouts ( Web , iOS , Android )
Maximum number of callers: 25 (10 on the screen at the same time)
In my own experience, Hangouts seems like the perfect video chat service for people who like to make regular group video calls. Like Facebook Messenger, Hangouts has the advantage that a lot of people have Google accounts, and the service has been around for a long time, so there’s a good chance people are familiar with it.
One thing that sets Hangouts apart from most other major video calling services is that you can share your screen for free. (Skype and Facebook hide this behind paid business services.) Another advantage of Google on Facebook is Hangouts shows more participants on the screen, up to 10 at a time, including the loudest speaker.
Skype ( Internet , Windows , Mac , iOS , Android )
Maximum number of callers : 25 (10 on the screen at the same time)
Skype, another long-time adherent of video chats, also offers group video calls for up to 25 people, featuring 10 screens, including the current speaker. Just like Messenger and Hangouts, you can easily turn any group chat into a video call with the click of a button.
A lot of people have access to Skype – it comes with all Windows 10 PCs and most versions of Microsoft Office 365 – but it has some weird limitations. Skype limits video chat to four hours per call and limits your use to 100 hours per month and 10 hours per day. Plus, Skype’s connection to business and productivity has always made the service more “formal” than many of the services on this list. While it’s actually as easy to set up a chat on Skype as it is on Hangouts or Messenger, going to a dedicated app, among other aspects of your digital life, seems like an extra step. However, this can be a good thing, depending on the nature of your call.
Snapchat ( iOS , Android )
Maximum number of callers: 16
The ephemeral photo sharing service added group video calls earlier this year. As with Facebook Messenger and Hangouts, you just need to create a group chat and then press a button to start a video call. Snapchat doesn’t support large chats like the last two services – with a maximum of 16 members at a time – but it does have all the AR filters, paint, and other fun features that come with any other part of Snapchat.
Discord ( Mac / Windows / Linux , iOS , Android )
Maximum number of callers : 10
A relatively newbie chat app focused on games, Discord is primarily used for voice and text chat, but it offers video calling support for up to 10 people. This feature was only available on desktops and laptops for a while, but only this month hit iOS and Android!
Discord is the only service on our list besides Google Hangouts that offers screen sharing (though only on PC and Mac, not mobile). However, it does not allow for that many visitors, so this might not be the place for a large guild meeting – at least not in the video.
Houseparty ( Mac , iOS , Android )
Maximum number of callers: eight
Remember Meerkat? It was the live video streaming service that made a splash in 2015 . Within months, Twitter ate the company’s notorious lunchtime with its live video platform Periscope, so Meerkat changed direction and created Houseparty, a video chat app that people can use to “hang out.” Primarily built for iOS and Android, but also available on macOS, Houseparty mimics the act of “bumping” into people online, allowing you to go to a friend’s chat in the middle of a stream. Of course, you can also just use it to set up regular video calls.
Instagram ( iOS , Android )
Maximum number of callers: four
It won’t promote your Oscar party, but Gram does offer video chat for you and up to three friends. Instagram messaging is becoming more and more popular – it’s simpler than Facebook Messenger and doesn’t require a separate app, so it can be a good place for regular chat. Instagram adds an interesting wrinkle when it comes to video chat: you can easily scroll through your Instagram feed while you are talking. With such a small group, it seems … rude. But hey, you know.
WhatsApp ( Mac / Windows , iOS , Android )
Maximum number of callers: four
WhatsApp, another popular Facebook direct messaging service, also allows up to four people to video call. WhatsApp is not integrated into a wider set of services like Messenger, Hangouts or Skype, does not support a large number of subscribers, and does not offer any kind of screen sharing: this is probably the roughest of all the options on our list, but it does have one quirk. which makes WhatsApp stand out (in addition to over 1.5 billion users as of January): WhatsApp claims that all of its video calls use end-to-end encryption , just like text messaging. If built-in FaceTime encryption is part of why you get excited about Apple group video chat, there is a safe option to delay you.