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Google Duo's group video calls roll out to everyone
Google is making Duo more useful as it's rolling out group video calls to everyone on Android and iOS. You can have up to eight people on a call at once (a far lower limits than FaceTime's 32 and Skype's 50). Group calls gradually went live in some markets this month, but now they'll be available for everyone.
WhatsApp will finally offer group video calls
WhatsApp may be a cornerstone of the chat world, but it's missing a feature rivals like Skype have had for years: group video chat. Or rather it was. Facebook has revealed that WhatsApp is adding a group video calling feature in the months ahead. There aren't many details at this stage, but it's clear the feature will allow four particpants and work with smartphones.
Snapchat adds group video chats and friend tagging
Snapchat's evolution from an ephemeral messaging app to a place where you can hang out with all of your friends takes another step today. The app is gaining group video chat, enabling you to hang out with up to 16 of your friends at the same time, or 32 if you switch to voice-only mode. Of course, there are plenty of platforms that will group chat, so Snapchat's USP here is that you can use face lenses at the same time. Consequently, if you're shooting the breeze with your chums, you can do it while vomiting rainbows or with a puppy's ears and nose.
Facebook Messenger adds an easy way to start group calls
If you've ever tried initiating a group voice or video call on Messenger, then you know that it's not intuitive at all. You'd have to hang up on your friend, start a new group convo and then call from within that window to be able to talk to several friends at the same time. Facebook must have realized that the process shouldn't be more complex than setting up a three-way call on a landline, so it has launched an easier way to initiate group calls. Now, when you want to bring the rest of your circle into an ongoing call, you simply have to tap on the screen and select the "add person" icon.
Google unveils 'Meet,' a Hangouts app for businesses
Google has quietly unveiled Meet by Google Hangouts, a big part of its strategy to shuffle the Hangouts app towards businesses and away from consumers. While it hasn't made a formal announcement, it launched an iOS app and partially-functional website (spotted by Techcrunch), though it's not yet on Android, oddly enough. The app will likely become part of Google's Cloud-powered G Suite, though it's not yet listed there, either.
Meerkat team reportedly behind 'Houseparty' app
Now that Facebook and Twitter have live streaming locked down, Meerkat is done with it. As it promised, the company has now pirouetted to the next trend -- group video chat. According to Recode, the company behind it has quietly launched Houseparty, a relatively simple app that lets you host video calls with friends. To use it, you just create a new group chat link and invite others using SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook and other social networks. If any of your friends are on the app, they'll be able to join a new chat instantly.
ooVoo update lets you and a party of 11 watch YouTube together
Someone at ooVoo must like to party it up virtually, what with features like four-way video conferencing, 12-way chat and now the ability to watch YouTube videos with up to 11 of your internet pals. Oh-so-creatively called "Watch Together," the new feature is similar to what Google+ already offers with Hangouts but with a couple more people above G+'s max of 10. Chat participants can play any YouTube video directly in the application either by sharing the URL or by doing a keyword search for a particular clip. If you're at a loss as to what to watch, you can peruse a list of trending videos or an ooVoo-curated lineup. Anyone in chat can start, stop, pause and rewind the video, which could be good if you want to watch that awesome dance video over and over again. The feature is currently only available on the ooVoo PC app, though future mobile implementations aren't out of the question.
Google+ adds YouTube party app, lets you inflict cat videos on everyone
Someone at Google must like Airtime as much as we do, because it just added a roughly equivalent YouTube party mode to Google+ Hangouts. As long as everyone has the web app running, they can share individual videos or whole playlists that run in sync. Any set of videos is shareable through Google+ or YouTube proper. Voice chat, mercifully, flips to a push-to-talk requirement to prevent friends from talking over your favorite clip. While there's no accounting for taste in what you play, Google can at least promise immediate, worldwide support for your group cat video sessions.
Skype 5.5 uses VP8 for video chats, keeps the WebM love aflame
Despite forming a coalition with a bevy of companies, Google's radical WebM video libertarianism has yet to take the world by storm -- unless you're talking El Goog's browser or YouTube. Well, Mountain View can breathe a sigh of relief, as Skype -- even after being bought by Microsoft -- has carried through with its earlier support of the open-source standard, bundling it within last week's Windows-only update. One-to-one and group video calls between version 5.5 clients now use WebM's VP8 codec, succeeding its ancestor, On2's VP7. Hey Redmond, who's speaking Esperanto now?
Fring app brings group video calling to iPhone
Fring has updated its popular iOS IM app to allow group video calls on the iPhone. This is a first for group video calling on any iOS device as far as I know, and its a much welcome feature. The group video calling allows you to video chat with up to three of your other friends over 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi. To take advantage of the new group video calling features, you'll need an iPhone 4 or the latest iPod touch with front-facing camera. Technically, the app will work with devices with only rear-facing cameras, but that kind of defeats the purpose of video calling if you need to have the rear camera on you and can't look at the screen to see the people you are chatting with. Best of all, Fring works cross-platform, so you can video chat with people on Android devices. Android requirements are pretty much the same as iOS requirements, users just need Android 2.2 or later and a phone with front and rear cameras. Fring is available now as a free download. [via Engadget]
Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free
If you missed the opportunity to get your hands on Fring's limited Group Video beta, fret not, because the free service has just gone live for everyone on this planet. What this means is that all Fringsters on compatible iOS 4.x and Android 1.5+ devices (1GHz and above recommended) can now have up to three friends on one video call, and as before, you can do so over either WiFi, 3G, or 4G. Hit your nearest app market for the software update to join the fun, and head past the break to see how Group Video works.
Skype 5.0 beta brings 10-way video calling to the world
Skype's Windows client is showing a bit of ambition today as its latest beta version now boasts a mighty 10-way video calling implementation. The earlier v5.0 beta threw up five-way vidchat, but it'd seem Skype kept its software engineers working through the summer and now we've got double the visual fun. Which would be awesome if we actually had nine other people we cared to see while talking to them. This update also brings a UI makeover, your typical stability and call quality improvements, and a neat automated call recovery feature. Download away, if you must.
