Now you can take group video calls, play party games and share screens with your nearest and dearest, even if you can’t see them in person.
While Australians are still in the early stages of social distancing and self-isolation, many of us are quickly finding that we can only have so many phone calls about the current state of affairs with friends and family. The Covid-19 situation might be moving fast, but – for the most part – our lives are not. In fact, things have gotten pretty slow and repetitive. So you mightn’t have much to catch up on when you speak to your loved ones each day.
That’s part of the reason why Houseparty, an app for video-calling with friends and family, has experienced a rapid rise in popularity. Currently the second-most-popular app on Apple’s App Store (behind Zoom, another video conferencing app favoured by workplaces), Houseparty lets you group call, message friends and play party games, such as Ellen DeGeneres’s Heads Up and more.
It has a similar interface to Snapchat, and, as a result, feels a little adolescent at times, but it fulfills its intended purpose – allowing you to spend time (as best you can) with the people you care about. Playing games with your mum over a video call doesn’t make up for being physically separated, but it’s a great way to keep in touch, laugh and enjoy a bit of human connection.
While the app is designed for games and casual catch-ups, you can also share your screen with friends, so it can be a valuable explanatory tool when screenshots just won’t cut it. It also syncs with your mobile and Facebook contacts, so there’s a good chance plenty of your friends already have it.
With the world set to spend the next few months in isolation, developers will be thinking of creative ways to stay in touch – houseparty is definitely a trendsetter, but it’s just the start of a new wave of apps that’ll keep us connected and entertained.
Download Houseparty here
