After gaining a lot of traction and buzz throughout last year, the Houseparty app for group video calls is officially shutting down. While everyone was stuck at home last year amidst the worst of the pandemic, video chat apps became increasingly popular for all sorts of use cases. Whether it be Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, or anything else in between, these applications rose in popularity like never before.

One such app was Houseparty. Houseparty was developed by Life on Air Inc. in 2016 and later acquired by Epic Games in 2019. Houseparty allowed friends/family to come together for group video calls, but it also went a step beyond that with in-app games. People could play trivia, Heads Up!, Uno virtual Pictionary, and a host of other games all within the Houseparty app. For folks looking for a more casual and laid-back video chatting experience, Houseparty had a lot to offer.

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Unfortunately, all of that will soon be a distant memory. On September 9, Houseparty announced that the app is being shut down. In a blog post titled, “Saying Goodbye to Houseparty!,” the team says, “Tens of millions of people around the world have used Houseparty to connect with their friends and family since the app launched in 2016. Today, we’re sharing that we’ve made the decision to discontinue Houseparty in October.” The app will continue to work throughout the remainder of this month, but once October rolls around, it’ll cease to exist.

Video Chat Apps To Use Instead Of Houseparty

This now leaves a big question to be answered — what video app should people use instead of Houseparty? For a lot of folks, one of the best alternatives will likely be Facebook Messenger. While there’s certainly a lot of distrust around Facebook and its handling of user data, it’s hard to argue with the video chatting experience offered by the Messenger app. It’s available for virtually every platform, has an incredibly simple interface, and is 100 percent free to use. Video calls in Facebook Messenger are also paired with some fun features: including video effects, backgrounds, lighting filters, and a Watch Together mode that allows everyone in the call to watch Facebook videos in sync with each other.

Another excellent option is Google Duo. Where Google Meet is Google’s business-focused video chatting app, Google Duo is made specifically for casual use (just like Houseparty). Users can chat one-on-one with someone else or have a group call with up to 32 people, calls are backed by end-to-end encryption, and users can jazz up their calls with video effects and doodles. The best part? Duo is entirely free and available on Android, iOS, and the web.

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Last but certainly not least, there’s FaceTime. Pre-installed on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, FaceTime is arguably the best choice for anyone in the Apple ecosystem. It’s straightforward to use, integrates with iMessage, and has fun additions like Animoji and Memoji effects. With the iOS 15 update coming this fall, FaceTime will get even better thanks to things like SharePlay, Portrait Mode video, and spatial audio. The demise of Houseparty is sad to see, but given how many excellent alternatives are available, finding a new place to call virtual home shouldn’t be too difficult.

Source: Houseparty

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Joe Maring
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Joe has been actively writing and talking about consumer tech since 2012. His biggest passion lies with smartphones, but he’s happy to talk your ear off about just about anything with a CPU. He lives in Kalamazoo, MI with his wife, two cats, and pit bull/boxer mix.

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