FaceTime for Android? Discover alternatives to the Apple app

O FaceTime is one of the most beloved features of the ecosystem of Apple – with it and with just a few taps on the screen, it is possible to make video calls of great quality and with up to 32 people. In times of social isolation, the feature, which has been a success since it was launched with the iPhone 4, has become even more popular: as it is not always possible to see friends up close, those who have an iPhone end up crowding right there, in the app.

But the fact that FaceTime is exclusive to Apple products is its biggest limitation, since if anyone in a group doesn't have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, they just can't use the function. Luckily, there are several alternatives as good as the service, or even better, available for Android or even for iOS. At list As you can see below, we show you 5 apps that are alternatives to FaceTime for Android, allowing you to make video calls with several people simultaneously and without charging anything.

Google Hangouts

Despite being a little forgotten after the arrival of Google Meet and Google Duo, the Hangouts It's still one of the best FaceTime alternatives for Android users. In addition to being simple and easy to use, all you need to log in to Hangouts is to have a Gmail account – once you access your account, all your contacts, phone and email, that use Hangouts will be available.

O Hangouts is different from Google Meet, as its focus is not on corporate video conferences, but on video calls with friends. Because of this, it allows video calls of up to 10 people and text chats with up to 150 people. Video calls can be recorded and you can share your screen with whoever you talk to. Finally, Hangouts is also 100% free and available for Android and iOS, in addition to having a web version, being accessible in any modern browser.

Google Duo

O Google Duo is the closest thing to FaceTime for Android. Launched in 2016, the app works similarly to Hangouts, but focuses exclusively on video calls and has a much more modern look. In it, you also only need a Gmail to register for the service and, as soon as you log into your account, all your contacts who have Duo installed are available for you to call.

Especially targeting FaceTime, Duo also supports video calls with up to 32 people, in addition to having a night mode, which supposedly improves the image quality of those who are in low-light environments. During video calls, Duo allows participants to wear masks, hats, glasses and more virtual props, in addition to being able to take a “picture” of the video call – in case you want to share it on social networks.

O Google Duo is available for free for Android, iOS and is also on Website. If you have a device from the Google Nest line, like the Nest Mini, you can also make calls on the Duo from there.

Skype or Whatsapp

Reference when thinking about video calling, the Skype or Whatsapp has 17 years of history and went through many reformulations to get where it is. Today, belonging to Microsoft, the service offers most of its functions for free, such as video calls with up to 24 people.

These video calls even have all the features you would expect from a service of this genre today, such as HD quality, recording and screen sharing.

Also like Hangouts, there is support for text chats and voice calls, but the main differential of Skype is on the multitude of supported platforms: you can use it on Web navigator, iOS, Android, Windows, Linux, Xbox and even on Amazon's smart devices – even the ones that don't have cameras.

Zoom

O Zoom saw its number of users skyrocket during the quarantine. By far, it is the service that has benefited the most from the migration to home office, as it has a more corporate focus and is geared towards online meetings – Zoom allows you to create virtual meeting rooms and video conferences with up to 100 people. The only problem is that, in the free plan, the meetings have the maximum time 40 minutes, being necessary to open another room once that time is reached.

Zoom is more limited than the other services mentioned precisely because it has a business focus. The service does not allow, for example, to record meetings with its own tool or broadcast them via social networks – unless you pay for a plan. premium.

Anyway, Zoom is another option for making video calls, with the differential of supporting 100 people in the same conference. Like other apps, Zoom is also available for Android, iOS, Windows, Website and Mac, on the AppStore!

Viber

Supporting video calling since 2014, the Viber It's not very popular in Brazil, but it's a big hit abroad. The application presents itself as an alternative to the services of large companies and, for that, it has a lot of resources: in addition to being able to create text chats with up to 250 people, in which it is possible to exchange Gifs, photos, videos and stickers, video calls support up to 20 people.

O Viber also allows your messages to disappear after a pre-set time and is available for free to Android, iOS, Windows and MacOS. As with Duo and Hangouts, just create an account and see which of your contacts also use Viber.

The downside, however, is that unlike Hangouts and Duo, you'll need to convince your friends to go to Viber, since these two other services are integrated with Gmail, which a lot of people use, and Google Duo is already installed on some cell phones, making it much more practical to use one of these two.

Bonus: WhatsApp is also an alternative to Facetime for Android

For that you didn't expect, or expected? Well, it's nothing new that the WhatsApp supports video calling, but what you might not know is that the service also supports group video calling, with up to 8 people. To make a group video call on WhatsApp, just start a normal video call and once your contact answers, an icon to add more people will appear in the upper right corner of the screen.

And if you are interested, but the limitation of up to 8 users is a problem for you, you might be interested in taking a look at our Messenger rooms tutorial. With a proposal similar to Zoom and Google Meet, Messenger rooms are virtual meeting rooms, accessible to anyone from a link created by you, and that support up to 50 simultaneous participants.

And you, did you like our list? Think any cool video calling app for Android was left out? Remember to give us your feedback and interact with us on comment field below!