Some apps to help you meet up virtually
The implications of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 are seen in almost every country around the world. Businesses of all shapes and sizes have found themselves on lockdown with employees requested to work from home. Now to some, working from home may sound like a dream come true. You can wake up when you want, work when you want and take a break when you want. But that is not the case. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Even when working from home, employees are expected to carry out their daily tasks with the same precise dedication they would give if they were at their physical offices.
As such, one important element to keeping track of employees and work orders is communication. With social distancing in effect, keeping up with employees can be tricky. Fortunately, video conferencing tools allow employers and employees to communicate with each other. Because these apps are platform independent, these meetings can take place anywhere at any time on almost any smart device, laptop, or desktop PC. We’ve curated a listicle of such apps that you too may find useful.
Skype
Developed by Skype Technologies, Skype has withstood the test of time when it comes to communication. It was acquired by eBay in 2005 and then later acquired by Microsoft in 2011. Since then, Skype has played an integral part, even being added to installations of Microsoft Windows 10 automatically.
Skype allows you to stay in touch wherever you are (Image Credits: SlashGear)
The app is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Linux and is completely free to use. You can make free unlimited Skype-to-Skype calls and call landlines and mobile numbers using Skype Credits. In addition, Skype also supports video conferencing for upto 20 members for free. However, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Microsoft increased the participant limit to 50 members. The app also includes a feature to record calls for future reference if needed as well. Fortunately, other participants on the call will be notified if and when the call gets recorded. The recordings can then be saved and shared for upto 30 days. You can also screen share with other participants on call.
You will need to create a Skype account in order to use Skype. However, if you have a Microsoft account, you can use those credentials to login and use Skype as well. You can check out and download Skype by visiting www.skype.com
Google Duo/Hangouts/Meet
Rather than having one app for video conferencing or calling, Google gives you a choice. Let’s take a look at Google Duo for starters. Announced at Google I/O 2016, Google Duo was the company’s entrant to high-definition (720p) video calls. Optimized for low-bandwidth networks, Duo also packs end-to-end encryption. Users are able to make group calls with upto 12 members to those in their contact list, rather than adding via a username. This makes the calling process more streamlined as there’s no details needed to add a person. While on call, Google Duo automatically switches between Wi-Fi and cellular networks. Duo’s “knock knock” feature allows users to see a live preview of the caller before answering the call. As of April 2017, Duo also lets users make audio-only calls.
Google Duo in action (Image Credits: Hacker Noon)
Google Hangouts also allows users to chat with others via their Google account. Up to 150 people can participate in a text based Google Hangout (Think of it like a massive text group chat). As for video conferencing, you’re limited to 25 participants. Users are able to join a Hangouts session via Gmail, the Hangouts mobile app, the Hangouts site directly, and also via a Chrome extension.
Google Hangouts; it’s not much but it’s honest work (Image Credits: Tech Radar)
Following a few developments at Google, the company launched Google Meet and Google Chat. Google Meet is the updated and upgraded version of Google Hangouts primarily for video conferencing. In fact, Google describes it as an enterprise-friendly version of Hangouts. Meet supports video conferencing with upto 30 people and features a web app as well as Android and iOS versions as well.
Meet Google Meet (No pun intended)(Image Credits: 9to5Google)
If you’re a G Suite user, then you can have upto 100 members per call for G Suite Basic users, up to 150 for G Suite Business users, and up to 250 for G Suite Enterprise users. Features such as screen sharing and integration with Google Calendar are included as well. Calls are also encrypted to ensure security. In addition, Google Meet for G Suite also includes real-time AI generated closed captioning (it’s like having subtitles for your video chat).
Jitsi
You might have heard of Jitsi, or you might not have. Either way, what you need to know is that Jitsi is a collection of completely free open-source projects that allows users to quickly and easily launch secure video conferencing solutions. Video conferencing can be set up via their website (meet.jit.si) or by downloading the Android or iOS app to your smartphone or tablet.
Jitsi is a free to use, open source platform that you can use to host meetings. (Image Credits: MBC News)
Jitsi Meet includes features such as locking a room with a password, screen sharing, and an audio only mode. If configured, Jitsi Meet can also stream conferences to YouTube, dial out to telephone participants as well as have telephone participants join in the conference as well. Features such as push-to-talk, an audio-only option are also available along with a feature to play YouTube videos to participants. You can also integrate Jitsi into 3rd party apps and websites as well. This can be done via Jitsi’s External API which can be checked out at their GitHub page.
Zoom
An app that has been cast into the spotlight lately, Zoom was founded by Eric Yuan, who was a former Cisco Webex engineer. It is a “Unicorn” company which means it is currently valued at $1 Billion or more. As of April 2020, Zoom’s software has seen an increase in use due to the quarantine measures adopted by many countries due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The main reason that people opted for Zoom is because of the amount of participants who can join a meeting. While paid versions of Zoom also exist, the free version allows hosting of upto 100 participants, unlimited 1-1 meetings and 40 minut group meetings. It also supports most of the other video conferencing features such as screen sharing, raise hand, and the ability to record meetings. As for pricing, in addition to the basic package, Zoom gives you a choice of Pro, Business and Enterprise, billed at $14.99 and $19.99 respectively. All their plans are listed on Zoom’s website (https://zoom.us/pricing).
With Zoom, you can get a close up of your meetings (Image Credits: Computer World)
This was also the reason for it to fall into trouble. In March 2020, an inquiry into Zoom’s privacy and security practices led it to being banned from New York City schools. Zoom had a few security vulnerabilities that allowed 3rd parties to “Zoombomb” or allow hackers to gain access to a user’s personal information such as email account passwords. There were other instances where 3rd parties hijacked meetings such as classrooms and posted unsafe content. Since then, Zoom has amped up their security and claims that the app is completely safe to use. While the new security features do give assurance that meetings can be carried out securely, it should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Microsoft Teams
Another product of Microsoft, Teams is more or less a competitor to Slack. It offers a more holistic approach to collaborative working. As such, features include a workplace chat, video meetings, application integration as well as file storage facilities. It integrates with Office 365 subscriptions and can also integrate with non-Microsoft products as well.
Teams allows groups to join via a specific URL or invitation sent via the team administrator. Once the team is set up, channels can be created. Channels are essentially topics of conversation that allow team members to communicate without the need to call, message or email other team members. You can also reply with text, images, GIFs and even memes, to give things a humorous twist.
Team up with Microsoft Teams (Image Credits: Microsoft)
The app also allows users to send direct messages to a specific user rather than a group of people. Other functionalities include instant messaging, Voice over IP and video conferencing. Meetings can be scheduled or created on the go. Teams also includes a plugin for Microsoft Outlook so that you can invite other members for a meeting.