Meet friends of a friend
Houseparty is a social application that allows users to instantly join video calls with their friends and whoever that person has a video call with.
No privacy
Houseparty is a quick way to connect with friends through video calls and share your screen for viewers. It has a couple of shortcomings, namely in how it handles being a background app, but it’s an overall good program.
Unlike with standard communication applications, there is no privacy when using Houseparty as it is a social-oriented application. There is no option to reject a call, and anyone who knows you can start a chat. This makes it a great way to have a group conversation with friends without leaving your couch, but it also interferes with privacy.
The application will automatically alert you when contacts are online and available for you to video call. This is a handy way to always know who you may see while you have the application open and ready to receive contacts. However, these notifications will sound even if your phone is set to silent.
As such, the app will also let your friends know when you are online and available to video call. If you’re quickly looking at the program, this may annoy you as your friend can immediately decide to join you and catch up.
The application is effortless to use as there are no reject call options except to exit the application. This is a major downside, but aid’s the app’s ability to be a social tool that’s as spontaneous as a friend suddenly appearing.
Houseparty allows you to share your screen with friends, making it an easy task to play games and see who gets the high score. This mode is also a great way to share messages and chat experiences.
Where can you run this program?
Houseparty is available for Android 4.4 and up as well as iOS 9.0 and later.
Is there a better alternative?
No. As a face-to-face video call system, Houseparty has no privacy, and you should use Skype for that. However, as an easy way to connect with contacts and their friends, this app is amazing.
Our take
Houseparty is a great way to connect with friends via the internet by easily joining a video chat with them. The biggest issues lie in how the app sits in the background, and there’s improvement needed here.
Should you download it?
Yes. If you’re unable to see your friends face-to-face, then this application is a must-have as it’s effortless to use.
