Staying inside all the time is made only slightly more bearable with the plethora of video conferencing apps that let you see your friends and family while you talk to them.
Zoom is one of the most popular but another, Houseparty, is growing fast because it allows you to play games with your friends all together. Billed as a social video app, it’s available for free for both Android and iOS and has been downloaded millions of times since the coronavirus struck the UK.
Despite the newfound popularity, Houseparty was initially launched back in 2016. Which goes to show it just takes a worldwide pandemic and housebound population to make your app a success. Coincidentally, Houseparty is owned by Epic Games, which also makes Fortnite, after it was acquired in 2019.
How to use Houseparty
Once you’ve downloaded the app and signed up, you’ll be able to open it up and see which of your friends are online. Your friends will also receive a notification to let them know you’re online.
The onus is on simplicity here – you’ll be able to start talking straight away to your friends, unless they’ve chosen to lock their ‘room’ of the party.
Where the app really stands apart is in the number of games that you can play during calls. Some of the games include Heads Up, Trivia and Quick Draw and you can play with up to eight people at a time. Throw in a few drinks and some snacks and you’ve got, as the name suggests, a virtual house party.
There are various options on the app screen that do different things while you’re using it. Here’s a brief rundown: the plus button on the upper-right corner, right above the dice, give you the option to add or invite friends.
In the bottom of the screen, the open-lock indicates other people can join and members can add more people to the call.
The smiley face button on the top left gives an overview of friends and notification settings.
The dots on the bottom-left corner provide three options: Share Screen, Record Facemail, and Disable Camera.
Sharing your screen and disabling the camera do exactly what they suggest.
If you want to use the app as more of a video messaging service, you can leave ‘Facemails’ for certain friends. These are videos that will play for them next time they open the app. Like a voicemail, but with your face attached to it.
You can also link Houseparty up to other social media apps like Snapchat and Facebook to easily find contacts.
Houseparty is just one of the new wave of apps making life with coronavirus a little bit more bearable. Here’s our round-up of other video conferencing apps to try if you’re trying to work remotely or stay in touch with friends.
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