You can have multi-way video calls with up to 12 people, making ooVoo good for video conferencing as well as regular chatting.
Free audio and video calls to other users, the ability to purchase credits to call other numbers in over 70 countries (the full list is available from ooVoo), and text messaging are all included. Originally a video-calling app, ooVoo has grown to offer a wide range of useful communication features for users of the app.
The app is free, too, so you can test it out before committing to making it your primary communication app.
Viber’s main benefit is that it’s already very popular, so if you’re looking to download an app that your friends are likely to have, Viber is a good bet. Viber Out lets you call non-Viber users on their mobile or landline numbers with low rates, similar to Skype. You can make free video and audio calls, send messages, and even share your location via the app. When messaging apps started getting popular, Viber was a front runner the app has built on its initial popularity and become a more fully featured communications app that can easily replace FaceTime for many users. And, of course, it’s available on absolutely every platform, so you can use it across all of your devices instead of being limited to only Apple-made products. The mobile app even lets you send recorded video messages that your friends can watch later. The per-minute cost is quite low, so if you don’t make many calls, you could use it to supplement a very small talk plan from your provider. You can also call mobile and landline numbers with Skype, meaning you can talk to people who don’t have the app. Because so many people have the Skype app on their phones, it could even replace text messaging for communicating with a lot of your friends. The Android app offers the video and audio calling that you’re used to on your computer, as well as instant messaging so you can stay in touch with your friends no matter whether they’re online or not. The ability to get in touch with anyone in your Facebook friends list makes Messenger a better bet than FaceTime for many people.Įveryone knows Skype-it’s the biggest name in video calling, and it has a ton of cool features. If most of your friends are on Facebook, Messenger can serve as your go-to communication app on Android. You can share photos and videos through the instant messaging service, see when people have read your messages, create groups for commonly contacted friends, and even create shortcuts to get to conversations from your home screen. You can even send messages to people who aren’t in your Facebook friends list by adding their phone number. In addition to video calls (available in most countries), it provides instant messaging and VoIP audio calling capabilities, and because almost everyone uses Facebook, it’s easy to get in touch with your friends. To see if your country is on the list, see this help article from Google.Īlmost as ubiquitous as Google Hangouts is Facebook Messenger, Facebook’s built-in communication tool. Note: Using Hangouts Dialer to dial phone numbers isn’t available in all countries Argentina, China, Cuba, Mexico, Saudio Arabia, South Korea, and the UAE, among others, won’t be able to use it. It’s easy to convince your friends to download a free app, and you can even make calls to regular phone numbers.
Its ability to send textual messages and integrate with your phone and voicemail set it apart from the limited scope of FaceTime. With video and audio calling messaging capabilities easy sending of GIFs, animations, stickers, and maps, and a price tag of $0, Hangouts is a great option for Android users who want the ability to communicate in many different ways with other Android users.
You can even connect it to your Google Voice account for voicemail and calling integration. You can send Hangouts messages or text messages via the app, call any phone number in the world (using the related Hangouts Dialer app), and get free voice and video calls to other users of Hangouts. Google’s own messenger service, Hangouts, is one of the best ways to stay in touch with friends on Android.