Video Chat

How to transition to FaceTime on your iPhone during phone call

From the onset, the iPhone has supported common features such as mid-call switching to an incoming phone call, creating a conference call between multiple parties and more. These features extend to FaceTime, Apple’s solution for making audio and video calls over the Internet that bypass a carrier’s voice network.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to make a quick transition to a FaceTime call on your iPhone without hanging up on the current call.

Free group video calling is coming to Skype’s iPhone and iPad application

Skype is celebrating its tenth anniversary so the Microsoft-owned company yesterday announced that users of its mobile application will soon be able to take advantage of a free group video calling feature.

According to Gurdeep Pall, Skype CVP, group video calling on mobile devices will be coming to Skype’s iPhone and iPad app “soon,” and to Windows 10 and Android devices.

WhatsApp video calling shown on leaked images, tabbed chats in the works

Facebook has been promising to add video calling to WhatsApp for over a year now and it looks like they could be on the cusp of releasing the feature in the coming days and weeks, as evidenced by a pair of leaked screenshots obtained by German Apple blog Macerkopf.de.

Moreover, the app will gain tabs for moving between multiple conversations with ease. Like Apple’s FaceTime, Skype, Messenger, Viber and many other messaging platforms, WhatsApp should permit users to send and receive video calls via Wi-Fi or cellular.

Facebook Messenger launches video calling

Merely a week after flipping the switch on audio calling in the popular WhatsApp service, Facebook today started rolling out video calling to its Messenger app on iOS and across other mobile platforms.

As you know, Messenger already offers people the ability to make voice calls to friends around the world. By enabling cross-platform video calling across the ubiquitous messaging service, which commands 600 million users, the firm has enabled users to engage in face-to-face conversations with their friends and the people they care about, regardless of the platform of their choice.

Skype iOS apps updated with free and unlimited Video Messages

Microsoft-owned Skype was testing a new Video Messages feature since mid-February, but it wasn’t until mid-June that they opened video messaging to everyone.

Today, the software maker has finally updated Skype for iPhone and iPad with free and unlimited Video Messages, basically short videos Skype users can send to each other, even when offline.

Previously, you could only send 20 free messages up to three-minute long each before being prompted to sign up for a $4.99 premium Skype account…

Skype testing short video messaging feature

Microsoft is launching a new Video Messages feature to allow Skype users to send short video snippets to each other up to three minutes long. The feature works in both online and offline mode and Microsoft has started testing it with some Skype users on the Mac, iOS and Android, according to multiple web reports. Surprisingly, Skype Video Messages won’t be initially available on Windows, but Skype for Windows users will receive these messages with a link to view them online. More tidbits right below…

Skype for iPhone gains emergency call redirection, automatic call recovery

Following a Skype for iPad update earlier this week that has enabled automatic dropped call recovery, in-app purchase of Skype credits and a minor UI tweak, the Microsoft-owned VoIP provider has pushed out an update to its iPhone and iPod touch client this morning. Borrowing from the latest iPad build, the iPhone version will now automatically reconnect any dropped call.

More importantly emergency calls now get routed through the native dialer, which is interesting knowing most other VoIP apps don’t support this feature. A few more tidbits and the full changelog follow after the jump…

You can now add money to your account directly in Skype for iPad

Microsoft-owned Skype has some nice mobile clients on the iPhone and iPad (unlike its fugly Mac app). Though it’s a tad heavy on CPU and battery, Skype on iOS offers excellent voice quality and image clarity in video chats. At least that’s what my experience’s been, your mileage may vary. Today, a new iPad build has surfaced on the App Store with some new nice capabilities worth a mention.

If you use Skype credits to text people and make inexpensive calls, no longer do you need to buy these on the Skype web site as the iPad build now supports adding money in-app, but only if you live in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Sweden or Estonia (more countries to follow soon).

Experiencing poor reception (it’s Skype’s way of letting us know we should buy some credits)? No problem, the new version now automatically reconnects a dropped call. More tidbits right after the break…

Skype update enables chatting with Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts

Skype was recently updated with a taller UI tailored for the iPhone 5. Today, Microsoft pushed another update, bringing a few new features to the popular communications client. For starters, you can now merge your Skype and Microsoft account, which also enables the software to connect to Microsoft’s other messaging properties. Most notably, this means you can now chat with Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts right from Skype…

Net neutrality complaint over AT&T FaceTime blocking looms

AT&T’s initial decision to charge for FaceTime video calls made over its cellular network and the subsequently tweaked rules mandating that FaceTime over cellular users sign up for AT&T’s Mobile Share plans both provoked a public outrage which almost snowballed into a PR catastrophe.

Deciding someone should take the nation’s biggest carrier to task for taking advantage of its unsuspecting customers, advocacy group Public Knowledge (PG) figured that AT&T’s policy violates net neutrality rules by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The group is mulling an investigation into AT&T’s practices as Public Knowledge, Free Press and the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute all plan to file a complaint with the FCC for AT&T’s violation of network neutrality rules…

Skype app updated with new photo sharing feature

Skype users rejoice! The video calling service just updated its iPhone and iPad apps, bringing the mobile client to version 4.1. The update includes a handful of bug fixes and a new photo sharing feature.

That’s right, users with the latest version of the app will now be able to send and receive photos…

Facebook testing Messenger for iPad with Skype video calling

A new report alleges that Facebook is working to add video chatting capabilities to its standalone messaging app for the iPhone. Additionally, the Facebook Messenger for iPad with video calling is also being tested internally.

Both versions of the Messenger app take advantage of Facebook’s deal with Skype from July of last year which has enabled the social networking behemoth to deliver Skype video calling right within the desktop interface…