How to video chat on an Android device using a third-party app

Chrissy Montelli

Apr 17, 2020, 19:54 IST

How to video chat on an Android device using a third-party app

It's easy to video chat on an Android device — you just need the right app. Hollis Johnson/Business Insider

To video chat on an Android device, you'll need to download a third-party app, as there's no native Android video chatting app.
Luckily, there are dozens of different video chatting apps available on Android devices, most of which are free to use.
One of the simplest video chatting apps you can find on an Android device is Facebook Messenger.
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Although it's become such a common phrase that everyone uses, you can't actually FaceTime anyone using an Android phone. That's because FaceTime is exclusive to Apple devices.

Most Android devices don't actually have their own native video chatting app. Instead, they let you pick one from dozens available in the Google Play Store.

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When you search for "video chat" in the Play Store, you'll find Skype, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and more. All of these apps have their own features, require their own account, and have their own userbases.

One of the easiest ways to video chat easily using your Android device is through the Facebook Messenger app, which we'll focus on here. All you need for this is a Facebook account, and you'll be able to video chat with anyone else that uses Messenger.

Here's how to video chat on an Android device with a third-party app like Facebook Messenger.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

Samsung Galaxy s10 (From $859.99 at Walmart)

How to video chat on Android using a third-party app

1. From your Android device's Home screen, tap on the Messenger app and log into your Facebook account.

2. Tap on the contact with whom you'd like to video chat. Doing so will open your personal text chat history with this person.

3. With the chat window open, tap on the camera icon located at the top of your screen to request a video call.

4. Your Messenger app will begin calling the other person, but you cannot video chat until the other person picks up their end of the line. In the meantime, your device's camera will turn on, and you can play around with Messenger's video chatting features, like video effects.

5. Once the other person answers your video call, you should be able to see them on your screen and speak to them normally.

6. When you want to end the video call, tap on the red button marked with the phone icon to hang up. Once you or the other person hang up, your chat history will show that you made a video call to each other, and for how long.

You can video chat with more than one person at a time, too. All you have to do is create a group message with the intended recipients and then tap the camera icon like you would in an individual chat.