by Matt Hannon

The pandemic lockdowns have forced many of us to adopt new technologies at lightning speed to keep in touch with family, friends, and coworkers. Six months ago, did you ever think you’d be convinced to have a video chat dinner with your in-laws?

Had you even heard of Zoom before February?

But here we are, unsure when will be able to “go back to normal” and still looking for the best way to connect with one another. Even as many businesses reopen, an unpredictable future means we should keep our new tools close at hand just in case.

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Check Out Other Options

Almost everyone knows about Zoom by now (and users are familiar with its inconvenient 40-minute time limit for the free version), but did you know there are other options for connecting with family and friends over the internet? Google, Microsoft, and Facebook have all released or improved their own video chat services since sheltering in place began.

Though they’re all fairly similar, you might find one you like most, or with a feature you enjoy.

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Google Meet

Price: Free (through 9/30/2020) Time Limit: None (60-minute limit waived)

You used to have to pay for Google’s “G-Suite” for business to use this feature, but since COVID-19 hit they’ve made Google Meet free for everyone. It’s a bit simpler and more straightforward than Zoom, and since most people already have a Google account, it’s easy to convince friends and family members to give it a try.

You don’t have to download an app to use it, but the app makea everything smoother and offers a few more features, like a low-light mode to make your video look better when it’s dark. You can also share a single internet tab from your Chrome browser, rather than sharing an entire application.

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Skype Meet Now

Price: Free Time limit: None

Skype is a veteran when it comes to video calls — the first version launched in 2003! Because of this, you may already have a Skype account, which means you and the family can jump on one of these new group video calls without signing up for a new service.

Skype’s service “Meet Now” works in a way similar to Zoom and is just as easy to start up. You just have to visit Skype.com and click “Create a Free Meeting” to instantly start a chat room. It will provide you with a shareable link you can send via chat or email to have friends and family join in.

Meet Now will work right in your web browser; you don’t even need to install Skype or log in. It’s one of the quickest ways to start a group video conversation using a platform you’re possible already familiar with.

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Microsoft Teams

Price: Free Time Limit: None

Microsoft Teams is great if you’re already using Office 365 day to day, as it integrates seamlessly with the other Office apps and will feel familiar. It has very similar features to Zoom and Google Meet, though it goes a little further by letting you create custom groups (teams) that you can easily start a group video chat with. This is great for work videoconferencing, but also good for creating different family and friend groups that you’d like to have group calls with on a regular basis.

Microsoft Teams also has a cool “blur the background” feature that makes it easy to have a more professional-looking video feed without setting up a background.

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Messenger Rooms (Facebook)

Price: Free Time Limit in Free Version: None

Facebook Messenger is the main chat app for families who keep in touch primarily on Facebook. In May, Facebook released the “Messenger Rooms” feature that lets you create a video-chat room for up to 50 people.

If you create the room, you have control over who can join your video chat by leaving the room locked or unlocked.

One of the best things about this option is that it’s geared more towards friends and family keeping in touch. All the other services started as tools for business communication, and then pivoted once the quarantine began.

Messenger Rooms works well on your iPhone or Android device, and as long as you’re running the latest version of the Facebook Messenger app, the feature is already there waiting for you to give it a go. The service was integrated into Instagram and WhatsApp (both owned by Facebook), which means you can start a room from either of those apps as well.

Messenger Rooms also has some fun effects for backgrounds and stickers.