How To Make A Video Call On Your Computer Or Smartphone

Step By Step: How To Make A Video Call On Your Computer Or Smartphone

Text messages are invaluable, but you might get more comfort from a video call. As long as you have a camera-equipped computer, smartphone or tablet, you can make video calls free of charge to the people who matter the most. Popular services to help you get the job done include Facebook Messenger, Skype and WhatsApp. Below, we’ve rounded up some video calling apps to help you stay in touch with your loved ones.

 

What you need to make a video call Whatever device you’re using, you’re going to need it to have a camera. Using your smartphone for video calling is a great option. Mobiles are lightweight, easy to move from one room to another, and often have front-facing and rear-facing cameras that you can swap between. Most modern tablets will also have a built-in camera. If you’re using a computer, you’ll need to activate the built-in webcam or purchase a plug-in webcam if that’s not an option. These plug into a USB port and sometimes ship with additional third-party software to help you tweak the picture settings. 

There are countless video calling apps available, but we’ve picked out four of the most popular: Apple FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Skype and WhatsApp. All four services work on smartphones (FaceTime only works on Apple devices, though). If you want to use your computer to video call, your best bets are Skype or Facebook Messenger. All of these are free to download and use over wi-fi. But note that if you’re using them over a 3G, 4G or 5G connection, you’ll eat into your mobile data allowance. 

Crucially, if you’re using an app to video call, the person you’re trying to contact will need the same app. Our expert lab tests uncover the best gadgets with built-in cameras. See our mobile phone reviews and laptop reviews. How to make a video call on WhatsApp Can 

you make video calls on smartphones?

 

YesCan you make video calls on tablets? 

NoCan you make video calls on Windows?

NoCan you make video calls on Mac? 

No WhatsApp is a Facebook-owned service that you can use to transfer files, send texts, voice calls and video calls. You can download it from the Google Play store on Android, or Apple’s App Store if you’re an iOS user. To create an account with WhatsApp (which is free to use), you’ll need to download the app to your smartphone. From there, open it up and work through the set-up assistant. You’ll need to give the app certain permissions that allow it to import your existing phone contacts. To make a video call on WhatsApp on your Android smartphone: Open the WhatsApp app Tap the speech bubble icon in the bottom-right corner Select a contact from the list Press the video camera icon You should now be in a video call. Tapping the rotate icon (an outline of a camera with circular arrows) will swap which camera you’re broadcasting from, while the microphone button will mute your audio. To make a video call on WhatsApp on your Apple smartphone:

Open the WhatsApp app Navigate to the Chats tab Click the Pencil icon in the top-right corner Select a contact from the list Press the video camera icon. How to make a video call on Skype Can you make video calls on smartphones? YesCan you make video calls on tablets? YesCan you make video calls on Windows? YesCan you make video calls on Mac? Yes Skype was primarily built with desktop in mind – its screen-sharing feature makes it a popular choice for those dealing with work-related video calls and group chats. But there’s no reason why you can’t try it out on smartphones and tablets to chat to your loved ones as well. It’s free to download, but you’ll need to create a Skype account to get started. To make a call, Skype will need access to your microphone. If your microphone and camera need configuring, go to the main Skype menu, tap the three dots, then select Settings > Audio & Video. To make a Skype video call on your computer: Open the Skype app on your desktop Click the Calls icon and select + call Search for a contact to chat with Select your contact and click call With your audio call running, select the video camera to open up your webcam. During a call, you can mute or unmute your sound at any time by selecting the microphone icon. How to make a video call on FaceTime Can you make video calls on smartphones? Yes – iPhone models only (iPhone 4 or later)Can you make video calls on tablets? Yes – iPad models only (iPad Pro, iPad 2 or later, iPad mini)Can you make video calls on Windows? NoCan you make video calls on Mac? Yes FaceTime comes pre-installed on the majority of Apple devices. If you and the person you want to video call both own an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Mac, it’s a sensible option. To make a FaceTime call on your mobile device:

If you’re using an iPhone, FaceTime will automatically register your phone number. IPad and iPod Touch users will need to use an email address In the FaceTime app, tap the ‘+’ button Type the phone number or email address of the person you’re contacting Select Audio (phone icon) or Video (camera icon). You can also activate your device’s camera through a normal phone call. While the other person is still on the line, tap the FaceTime icon in the Phone app to switch to FaceTime.