While creating a group video call that involves several participants, it is important to consider their phone’s ecosystem. For example, calling creating a Facetime group video call would mostly limit you to iPhone users. Once recently did Apple create a small doorway in their ecosystem to let Android users join a Facetime call. But their options are still very limited. In this article, we bring you the top 7 ways to group video chat between iPhones and Android phones.
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Facetime
Even though Facetime isn’t available for Android, you can easily create a call link that users from platforms can join. There isn’t much functionality for Android users outside of the most basic options like mute/unmute, camera toggle, camera on/off, and fullscreen toggle. Here’s how you can create a call link on Facetime.
Step 1: Launch the Facetime app on your iPhone.
Step 2: Select ‘Create Link’.
Step 3: Tap on ‘Add name’ to create a name for the call.
Step 4: Share the link with your Android contacts.
Step 5: Once the Android user receives the link, all they need to do is tap on it and they will be redirected to the Facetime waiting room on their web browser.
Step 6: Let the user(s) join the call once they are in the waiting room.
WhatsApp is the best app around for cross-platform communication. One of the biggest instant messengers in the world, WhatsApp lets you create group calls for up to 32 participants. You can either call all participants of a group at once by tapping the camera icon at the top of the group or call an individual member and add more participants by tapping on the plus icon. The latter allows you to add members from outside the group as well. If the person you want to video call does not have WhatsApp, you can create a group call link and share it with them. Here’s how.
Step 1: Open WhatsApp on your smartphone and go to the ‘Calls’ tab.
Step 2: Tap on ‘Create call link.’
Step 3: Choose whether you want to make an audio or video call.
Step 4: You can share the call link with your contacts on WhatsApp or social media and chat platforms. You can also copy the link and post it anywhere you want the people to see.
Facebook Messenger
Video calling on Facebook Messenger is fast and intuitive. Creating a video call is easy, all you have to do is tap the video icon at the top of a conversation. Once a video call is underway, you can add more participants to the call. Messenger also has a ‘Watch Together’ feature that lets you watch movies and TV shows together with your friends. If you want a fun calling experience that makes use of stickers, face filters, and more, Messenger is the way to go.
Zoom
Zoom is the ideal app for hosting a group video call with a large number of participants. Zoom is available for Android and iOS platforms, making it one of the best cross-platform connectivity apps around. What’s impressive about Zoom is its accessible layout and the ability to host hundreds of people in a call. Another great thing about Zoom is that you can join a group call by simply logging in with the Meeting ID and password provided to you.
Discord
Particularly famous within the gaming community, Discord has a bunch of features that even non-gamers will appreciate. Once you create a server (group) on Discord, you can create different channels within it. Server mods can manage which members of the group get access to these channels. These channels can be used to share texts, images, and videos, and create group video calls. One of the unique features of group calls on Discord is that it allows you to share your smartphone’s or PC’s screen with the participants of the call.
Google Meet
Similar to Zoom, Google Meet can be used to host online lectures, meetings, and seminars that involve a large number of people. You can join a group meeting using the code provided by the organiser. One of the most useful features of Google Meet is the ability to record video meetings. You can also choose to blur your background, use a different background, or apply a face filter. To create a meeting on Google Meet, simply launch the app and tap on New Meeting>Start an instant meeting. This is one of the best ways to host a group video chat between iPhone and Android.
Instagram may be known for being one of the biggest photo-sharing platforms on the Internet, but its video-calling feature is pretty underrated. Instagram is a great app to add people without sharing your number. You can also create groups with multiple people and have a video conversation with all the participants by tapping the camera icon at the top right corner of the group. Like Facetime and WhatsApp, Instagram also lets you create group video call links for people who are not on the platform.
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Conclusion
These are the top 7 ways to group video chat between iPhone and Android (and vice versa). These apps offer cross-platform connectivity, which is the most important thing to consider when you’re trying to create a group call that involves participants using different operating systems. Which app do you prefer for group calls? Let us know in the comments!
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