A few weeks ago, my family was having a corn shucking party. Me living so far from them, I could not attend. I haven’t seen my family in a long time, and my cousin insisted on planning a video call so that I could speak to everyone, say hello, give updates, and show off my too-quickly growing progeny. She suggested a FaceTime call, which I had to decline because I have an Android device, and so no FaceTime. I suggested using Skype instead, which she had never used, but we finally were able to connect that way and I spent the better part of that afternoon reconnecting with cousins, aunts, uncles and the newest babies. All this inspired me to write about some of the best (and free) apps that can connect Android and iOS users alike.
Skype
One of my very favorite video chat apps. Skype is one of the longest running app around, and so it has, over the years, fixed much of its bugs. It’s a solid app that is easy to use and works well most of the time, the biggest issue being connectivity – and it isn’t much of a problem anymore. It’s free, ridiculously simple to install and the platform is easy to navigate. You can look for contacts by name, but it’s often easier to find the right one using the email address of the person you are seeking. You can get it here for Android, or here for iOS.
Facebook Messenger
Over two billion people are Facebook users, so there’s a good chance that the people you want to video chat with are on there. The Facebook Messenger app originally only supported texting, but it has since evolved to support video calls as well. If you don’t currently have the Messenger app installed on your device, I strongly suggest you install it. Whoever you already are friends with on Facebook are already in your contact list, making it easy to reach out.
Amazon Alexa
If you have an Echo smart speaker, then you can use it to video chat. A lot of people don’t know that they don’t need an Echo Show, equipped with a screen, to do this. Simply download the Alexa app on your mobile device, and place your call!
Now you know all there is to know about cross-brand video chatting. Go on and place a call!