Watch the video above or read the transcript below for a rundown of the best apps available for staying in touch with friends and family during the coronavirus pandemic, according to Postable’s Danny Burke.
As you are no doubt well aware, we are living through a time of social distancing and isolation. We are staying home. We are avoiding physical contact with family and friends. We are lonely.
But, good news here folks — you can still socialize!!!! — you just have to do it at a distance. That’s where apps come in to help us keep connected to our loved ones. Sure, WhatsApp and Messenger usually do the job for this — but extraordinary times call for extraordinary apps, and here are four of the best … and they’re all free! I tried out some of these myself to stay in touch with my sisters who are in the U.K.
Houseparty
You may have already heard of this one. It’s become the app to have while in isolation. Houseparty lets you video chat with up to 8 people and is incredibly simple to jump into. The main menu is a default display of your front-facing camera. Swipe up to see your friends list and if you don’t have any, you can add them by name, through contacts, Facebook or just send them the link. If you just want to video a call a friend — that’s fine — but you’re missing out on the fun. Tapping the dice icon will bring up the game options which, although few, are a welcome touch! Tapping the plus button in the top right allows you to add friends and in the bottom left you’ll see a lock symbol to make your room private which stops unwanted people wandering into your fun.
Marco Polo
I love this one. Marco Polo lets you talk to your friends through video chat — but it’s not live. Their push-to-talk feature creates a sort of digital walkie talkie where you leave someone a video, or ‘Polo’, and they watch it whenever they get the chance. This app is for people who want to see their loved ones’ faces, they want to hear what they’re up to, but they might not have the time to sit there and video chat. Even if you’re social distancing right now — you may still be working or studying and might not have the time to talk to people for prolonged periods of time — no matter how much you miss them. Isolation doesn’t mean you’re not keeping busy and if that’s the case — Marco Polo is the perfect app to get.
Netflix Party
When the theatres are closed, and people can’t come to you for movie night, send the movie night out to everyone. Netflix Party is a chrome extension that allows you to watch movies in real time with your friends. After installing it through the Chrome Web Store, start watching a movie or show like normal. Then click on the small ‘NP’. You’ll see a URL to share with whoever you want to join. When they click the link, all they have to do is hit the NP icon to join the party — there’s even a chatbox to talk while the movie is playing and you don’t have to hear them!
Bunch
Next up, we have Bunch. What’s better than video chatting with friends and family? Seeing their faces while you beat them at a game. Bunch is a great little party app that aims to create a ‘frictionless experience’ between playing games and seeing someone face to face on your phone by allowing you to do both at the same time. It’s been called ‘the Discord of mobile games’ — which is high praise as Discord is the most popular chat program for desktop gaming. If you’re not a gamer, though — don’t be put off — most of the games are simple and easy to jump into. Trivia, drawing and charades give you a more casual experience but there’s plenty of more challenging games and established titles such as Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft which are supported as well!
Honourable mentions
Zoom is the go to app for video conference calling for many businesses both big and small and it works great for families and friends also. Think like the mafia: your family can act like a business.
JusTalk is great for large video calls as it can support up to FIFTY people at once for free while other apps may charge you to do those kinds of numbers!
Glide is a fantastic app that lets you create your own apps from spreadsheets while video chatting so this is great if you want to do something productive with friends or families.
QuizUp is, no surprise, an app that lets you do quizzes. It’s been at the top of the genre for many years now by offering fun quizzes to do with your friends and family across a sea of different topics.
For many people, these apps can never replace being with a friend or family member — but they can help. If you’re watching this, you’ve probably got a phone and if you’re social distancing, you’ve probably got some time on your hands — so there’s no excuse not to check one of these out! Especially if this goes on for a while.
Postable is Postmedia’s first and only YouTube exclusive publication. Produced by and for young Canadians, Postable shares stories that touch on social or cultural topics that affect Canadian Millennials and Gen Z. Postable is funded by YouTube’s funding Initiative program. The channel has been live since July, where a video is published every week. Click here to watch more, or subscribe.
