Does your App require In App Video Calling?

The Popularity of Video Calling Apps: Recent Surge

Live video calls are gaining as much traction for social use as voice calls, claims a Vonage report. Many types of mobile apps facilitate communication like messaging apps, voice calling apps, mailing apps, etc. Still, users desire an all-in-one solution that caters to all their written, verbal, and virtual communication needs. While the video calling technology has been around for decades, mobile app video calling has seen a massive rise in its popularity over the last 10-15 years. One-on-one video chat brings loved ones face-to-face, cutting down on geographic barriers. Today even enterprises count on video calling for project management, interfacing, and everything in between. As these apps evolve with time, group video call apps are a natural outcome.

 

Businesses too leverage a level of flexibility in terms of their collaborations, all thanks to apps that facilitate video calling. Especially given the COVID-19 pandemic situation, live video call feature in mobile apps has been a savior for individuals and businesses practicing social distancing.

 

Apps with video chat capabilities eliminate the need to travel for a meeting, cutting down unnecessary costs. Video calling apps can omit the need to fly everyone down for meetings by facilitating instant virtual meetings, saving businesses massive expenses.

 

Users chose video calls over voice calls for better communication cues like body language, gestures, and facial expressions. They appreciate the way a live video call can foster relationships through free-flowing and transparent communication.

 

Collecting multiple people for a physical meeting is time-consuming and counterproductive. Thus, a video chat app brings together people and serves as a cost-effective and time-saving option for communication.

 

 

Popular Apps with Video Calling Feature

 

a.) Facebook Messenger

The messenger app facilitates group video chat with support for up to 50 people, although users can see only six people on screen at any given moment.

 

b.) Kik

Kik is a popular social app that is popular among teens. It facilitates group video chat connecting up to six friends.

 

c.) Line

The mobile messaging giant Line also offers group video chat support for up to 200 people. The interface, however, displays only four people on screen at any given time.

 

d.) Skype

Skype has been around, connecting people around the world for years. It is a reliable video chat app option and supports video calls for up to 50 participants.

 

 

e.) Google Hangouts and Google Duo

Google Hangouts app is the best Android App for video calling. Google duo also allows users to create a web video chat link, which they then join in on their phones, tablets, laptops, or from the web. Hangouts offer support for group video calls for up to 10 people.

 

f.) Houseparty

Life On Air launched a new group video chat app called Houseparty for Android and iOS.

 

f.) Zoom

Zoom is a corporate video-conferencing platform with a user base of over 200 million. The company curates a free and basic paid plan, which allows up to 100 people to join a single call.

 

g.) Whatsapp

WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging mobile app that offers free messaging, voice calls, and video calls. It connects up to eight users over a video call.

 

Does your App require In-App Video Calling?

As video chatting apps become the norm with more and more brands following suit, they are likely to become an industrial norm. Here is a brief purview of App the industries that could improve their ROIs thanks to in-app video calling:

 

I.) Healthcare Apps

A video chat app for healthcare makes it easier to access medical advice within minutes amidst increasingly busy lifestyles. Patients can leverage an opportunity to undergo specialist consultations through in-app video calling features of telemedicine apps and seek opinions from global medical experts. To deliver the highest level of counseling to patients, physicians can expand their operations overlooking the geographic barriers through video conferencing apps. Doctors can even access patients who need in-person medical advice but are located in remote areas. Online consultations through video calling apps omit the unnecessary travel expense involved in medical tourism. Doctors can treat emergency cases and offer personalized services across borders at slashed costs by integrating video calling into their apps.

 

II.) E-learning Apps

Brands leave no stone unturned while engaging their customers. Even online education businesses can leverage free video chat to engage students online, attract new customers, and nurture their followers. They can send out personalized message videos to make learning easy through their apps to join them. Simply put, video chat solutions bring in the highest convenience as well as flawless engagement at the lowest cost for the education segment. Tutoring apps, online learning apps, skill development apps all make it to the e-learning category of mobile apps. Learning through video lessons helps improve the quality of the experience. All e-learning apps can use in-app video calling to improve their retention and engagement rates. App makers must leverage this up-side of the Coronavirus pandemic and create an e-learning solution with video calling functionality.

 

III.) Chatting and Messaging Apps

If there is one sigh of relief in the dark times of social distancing, it’s the messaging apps’ video calling features. Most chatting apps today like Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger, Facetime, and Kik, etc, come with video calling options for their users. Users appreciate the way they connect them to their near and dear ones. Video chatting apps are solely for individuals to connect virtually with friends and family through video calls. These instant messaging apps are built with features that make them engaging for ordinary people and focus on real-time communication functionality. App developers integrate usability along with security to deliver a safe video chat experience for all stakeholders.

 

 

IV.) Dating Apps

Lockdowns have been the isolating aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has adversely affected the way suitors meet their potential matches. However, online dating apps seem to be riding a high tide of popularity as the match-making goes virtual.  Dating apps that mimic the way best video calling apps function offer a resilient recluse to love birds ready to mingle online. Online dating apps with video call integration are far better equipped to match the overnight transformation of social norms. Any app that makes it possible for users to video chat with strangers needs solid security backing.

 

V.) Meeting, Events and Conferences Apps

A large chunk of corporate and conference event planners leverage mobile apps to conduct meetings and execute their plans. Even attendees expect mobile access to the events today. Attendees use such apps in the context of an actual physical event to upgrade themselves on the information about the ongoing activities as well as interact with fellow-attendees and speakers etc. These apps cater to all stakeholders of a conference such as attendees, event planners, sponsors, speakers and exhibitors, and sales representatives. Event app developers integrate online video call functionality within the app interface to facilitate networking, personalized advertising and response collection, etc. Organizers often serve them as free apps to attendees and track unique touch points on the App and interaction and data collection to enhance the value of meetings for all participants.

 

 

Future of Video Calling with 5G

Mobile data networks empower better communication. They make it possible for people and businesses to come face-to-face, albeit virtually through online video chat apps. Widespread adoption of 4G networks across the globe has made video calling apps a competitive differentiator for businesses of all kinds. 4G has redefined mobile video conferencing through its low latency. Easy to integrate video chat APIs have flooded app store with apps that carry video calling features.

 

With improvements in mobile networks and allied technologies like the 5G wireless technology like increased speed and boosted bandwidth, users would want a more fluid video call experience. 5G would allow app users to stream, download, and make video calls with enhanced ease and speed. It also holds the promise of fewer dropped connections, top-quality calls in HD, and even far-fetched innovations like telepresence with holographic conferencing capabilities and Ultra HD or 4K video calling.

 

 

Rounding Up

Not long ago, having in-app video calling functionality was a novel selling point that made an app hit among its users due to its distinct conveniences. Incorporating video chat into an app was too expensive and came with high maintenance costs. Most app development companies incurred enormous development resources for app development with video call functionalities. Businesses felt that they could devote the amount on other features while keeping the server cost in check if they forgo adding video call options to their App.

 

However, the tables have turned post COVID-19 pandemic. Incorporating a free calling app functionality into your business app has become the need of the hour, given the social distancing norms. As more and more individuals and even work professionals are required to stay indoors, an App facilitating video chat helps them connect, albeit virtually.

 

There is no better time than this to incorporate in-app video calling into your App. At Promatics, our team is as productive through the pandemic as it was before the onset of COVID-19. We provide start-to-end mobile app development services to businesses.

 

WebRTC can be used to gain access to media devices and establish a peer-to-peer connection when adding an in-app video calling feature to an existing app. Using signaling protocols such as SIP and XMPP, or a custom solution using full-duplex communication technology, helps make a video call App a success. We help businesses build focus on the platforms and features they need. Our team configures the right strategy according to the company’s needs and integrates online video calls into their app structure.

 

We can help you make your own video calling app due to our experience in the field. Do you feel the need to incorporate an in-app video calling feature into your App? Reach out to us today!