Facetime and Google Hangouts Video calling apps are more important than ever as we try to stay connected through this pandemic. With travel options severely limited, talking to friends and family via video calls is one of the best ways to stay in touch with loved ones who live far away. Unsurprisingly, there are now a lot of different video calling apps available. There are limits and slight differences between them which can be hard to figure out on your own. This class will focus on FaceTime, the native video calling application for Apple products, and Google Hangouts as well as other video call offerings from Google. VIDEO CALLING Very briefly, a word about video calling. The Picture Phone was unveiled at the 1964 World’s Fair. Despite AT&T’s best efforts to get this device off the ground, a call cost $16-27/minute (which translates to $112-189 in 2010 dollars) and the phone was incompatible with most of the existing phone network. Other attempts at video calling were equally unsuccessful, though the idea of a video phone remained a staple in science fiction movies. With the advent of the internet and the invention of the webcam, video calling was reborn. The first video chat application worked with the QuickCam in 1994. This camera captured 320x240 resolution images in 16 shades of grey and only worked with Macs. But, at $99, it made video calling more accessible than ever before! Nowadays, video calling is more accessible than ever. Smartphones, computers, and tablets all have the capability to make video calls and there are even a few devices made specifically for video calling. FACETIME If you are in the Apple ecosystem, FaceTime is the easiest video calling app to use. FaceTime works on all Apple devices: iPhones, Macs, and iPads. FaceTime comes already installed on all Apple devices and allows you to video chat will any of your contacts on Apple devices. Facetime allows you to group video chat with up to 32 devices. Additionally, FaceTime works either over WiFi or your cellular network. If you are using a cell phone or iPad with 4G access, you can place FaceTime calls from anywhere you have service. Just note that they will use data. If you’re concerned about data limits, make sure you’re connected to Wifi before placing or accepting FaceTime calls. Limitations of FaceTime: only works with Apple products. Cannot place calls to devices that are not from Apple. To place a FaceTime call on your iPhone: 1. Tap on the FaceTime app as shown in the first image below 2. Tap on the + in the upper right hand corner of the screen to start a new FaceTime call. Recent FaceTime calls are shown in the middle of the screen. If you want to call a recent contact, just tap on their name in the middle of the screen. 3. Type the name of the person you want to call into the To line as seen in the third image below. 4. If you want to make a group call, continue adding contacts into the To line until you have included everyone or hit the 32-person limit. Image 4 5. Tap the video button at the bottom of the screen to place your call. To place a FaceTime call from your iPad or Mac, follow the same steps on your respective device. If you are using a laptop or tablet that does not have access to a cellular network, make sure that you are connected to WiFi. If your WiFi connection goes down, you will not be able to place a FaceTime call. To accept or join a FaceTime call: Tap on the green button to answer the call. The image on the left shows how a notification for an incoming FaceTime call will appear in iOS 14, and the image on the right shows the incoming call screen for early iOS versions. GOOGLE VIDEO CALLING OPTIONS Google has a number of different video calling options. The good news is that they work across all platforms. The bad news, so to speak, is trying to figure out the right one to use. To use any of these Google video call options, you’ll need a google account and you’ll have to allow the app(s) access to your camera and microphone. Google Hangouts Hangouts is google’s longest running chat service. It was a part of Google+, if you remember that short-lived social networking site. Hangouts is integrated into any consumer gmail account, which is a google email account account ending in gmail.com or googlemail.com. Hangouts also has an app for iOS and Android devices. Hangouts allows up to 150 people in a group text chat and 25 on a video call at one time. To place a video call in Hangouts: 1. Open the Hangouts app. If you don’t have the app downloaded, you can do so for free from your app store. 2. Tap on the + at the bottom right corner of the screen. This will open your contacts. 3. Once you have selected the contacts you want to call, tap on the video camera icon that appears to begin a video call. A note about Hangouts: Google has announced that sometime soon they will be retooling Hangouts Classic into either Google Chat or Google Meet. Google Duo Duo is Google’s response to FaceTime. This app is only for video calling and works across platforms including the Google Nest Hub Max, which is their assistant device with a screen. You can make individual calls or video call up to 32 devices. You can also leave a video voicemail if the person you try to reach is unavailable when you call. Duo comes installed on all Android devices. If you do not have the app, you can download it for free from the App Store. To place a video call with Duo: 1. Set up Duo by verifying your phone number 2. Find your contacts in Duo. You can connect with anyone in your contacts that’s already on Duo. If there are people you want to invite to Duo, you can find them in your contacts and text them a link to download the app. 3. Once you’ve found someone you would like to call, tap on their contact information. Now you have a few options: you can place a video call, voice call, or record a video message. Choose which option works best for you, and you’ll be all set! Google Chat Initially, this was Google’s response to Slack, which is a messaging platform aimed at businesses. Google offers their suite of products, the G Suite, for businesses as well, so they’ve created Google Chat to compete. Chat is not currently available to consumers, but may be part of the rebranding of Google Hangouts. Google Meet Google Meet is Google’s response to Zoom and other video calling apps aimed at businesses. There is a free version of Meet that consumers can use. The limits on Meet calls in the free version are the 1 hour time limit with up to 100 participants. You can place an unlimited number of calls, but they will all be automatically ended at the end of an hour. If you do not have a google account, you can still join a Google Meet video call, but the host will have to grant you access and you are unable to join from your smartphone device. Google Meet allows you to schedule video calls in advance and send the link to anyone participating. To use Google Meet in a browser: 1. Click on the 9 dots in the top right-hand corner of the screen to bring up the Google Apps menu. Meet is the 8th option and the icon looks like a video camera in Google’s colors. 2. If you want to schedule a new meeting, click on the new meeting button. If you have an access code for a meeting, click on the Enter a code box and then click on the Join button that appears. 3. If you need to start or schedule a meeting, this menu will appear. 4. Choose the option that works best for your needs. A meeting link to share will work in the future whenever you need it to, whereas an instant meeting immediately places you into a video call. Schedule in Google Calendar gives you the option to create an appointment or event in Google Calendar and send that to the people you’re inviting to the call. Google Meet works much the same way in the mobile app. Again, since this app is aimed primarily at business users, it functions best to set up meetings and video conference calls in advance. Duo and Hangouts are more suited for consumers looking to make individual or more spontaneous video calls. WHAT THIS LESSON DOES NOT COVER Zoom, Facebook Rooms, or other video calling apps LINKS • https://www.lifewire.com/google-adds-free-pc-phone-voice-chat-1949604 • https://www.imore.com/facetime • https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-use-google-duo-for-group-video-calls • https://apps.google.com/meet/how-it-works/ • https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204380 CONTACT US Anne Simpson Winter Park Public Library 460 E. New England Winter Park, FL 32789 407-623-3300 ext. 3 [email protected] .