How to use Zoom, Skype and Google Hangouts to make group video calls during coronavirus lockdown
STAYING socially isolated doesn't mean you have to cancel your social plans — you just need to adjust them a bit.
With more of us having to spend time indoors due to the coronavirus outbreak, virtual communication is key, and various apps like Zoom are here to help.
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Google Hangouts
Hangouts now lets you invite anyone, even those without Google accounts, however, organisers still need a Google account.
If you’re playing host, it’ll be easier to set up the call if you’re on a laptop or desktop computer, but other participants don’t have to be.
Add your friend’s Skype contact name and click on his or her name from your contacts list before clicking the camera button in the upper-right corner to start the video call.
To share what’s on your screen, hover your mouse in the video and click the icon that looks like two stacked squares on the bottom right of the video call screen and click the "Share screen" button.
You and your group of friends will be able to see each other’s videos at the top of the shared screen.
FaceTime
FaceTime is Apple's proprietary video calling app.
If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, it operates seamlessly, letting you start a video chat with any of your contacts the same way you would a phone call or text message.
While FaceTime's primary purpose is video chatting, as its name suggests, you can also do audio-only calls if you're in a place with a Wi-Fi or data connection but poor phone signal.
With the release of iOS 12 in 2018, Apple also added a Group FaceTime option, allowing you to chat with up to 32 people at once — assuming they all have Apple devices, of course.