Free video chatroom application
Houseparty is a free social network service that lets you audio and video chat with your friends. You can meet new people when chatting with friends as their friends can join too. You can keep a chatroom private by locking the space and up to eight people are allowed in a group video chat.
Houseparty is similar to the audio only app called Clubhouse. Both of the applications let you join and leave chatrooms whenever you want. Discord is another platform with chatrooms. Additional alternative chatroom apps you can use are Google Hangouts, Skype, WhatsApp, and Zoom for scheduled calls instead of spontaneous gatherings.
Is Houseparty a safe app?
Safety settings are automatically set up in Houseparty to make the platform safer. An important security setting is the lock feature that's available in the center of your video screen. You can click on the lock icon to make the chat room private. The lock command will block anyone else from joining aside from the people already in the room. If you locked a room, then you can click on the lock again to unlock the space. Any friends of the people that are in an unlocked chat room can join.
There's another impressive safety feature that happens when an unknown person enters your current chatroom. A notification will appear to let you know that the person that has entered is not your direct friend. But if you decide to add this stranger as a friend, there's a green ‘Add Friend’ button to send friend requests.
You can immediately leave the chatroom by clicking on the exit button and do not need to have your video camera turned on to use Houseparty. Additionally, you can turn your camera and microphone off at any time during a chat. A red line will appear above the buttons showing that the commands are turned off.
But if you decide to use this feature in the app, you will need to grant Houseparty access to use your camera and microphone. This is configured in the settings menu when you first launch the service.
Can you use Houseparty on a computer?
Houseparty is available for Android, Apple iOS, and Google Chrome. You can use the Google Chrome app on Microsoft Windows PC computers and laptops. You will need to use the Google Chrome web browser to use this app on PCs. There's also a Google Chrome extension for Houseparty. The extension will integrate directly into your toolbar to let you conveniently use Houseparty.
The extension can open into a full-screen view. The user interface is divided into two main sections. Your friend list will be on the left and the chat area will be on the right. The search bar lets you find new people by searching for their names. Additionally, you can search for people you know in your friend list to quickly connect.
Your friend request section will be next to the search bar. A red square will appear when you have new requests and can see the number of requests in the box. Your friend list details plenty of information about your contacts. You can see when people are online by the green dot next to their profile picture.
A notice will appear above the usernames to let you know when your friends are in locked rooms. The people that you are already in a chat with will have a ‘Here’ button next to their name, while a friend that is online in an unlocked room will have a ‘Join’ icon.
Our take
Houseparty gives you plenty of freedom and lets you know your relationship with the people in a room. If you are in a room with someone that sent you a friend request, then an ‘Accept’ button will appear on their username of the chat. The Houseparty app is commonly used by Fortnite meetups since Epic Games developed both apps.
Should you download it?
Yes. Houseparty lets you casually meet with your friends since you can easily enter and leave chats. The web extension for PC is a nice alternative to the entire application. Houseparty is ideal for people that have an established friend group who want to keep in touch.
