With the winter months spreading their gloom and people reclining into their homes and warm blankets, it is time to start thinking of socializing in a new way. Thanks to the internet and the plethora of entertainment options available through it, you can never be bored. But for all those living far away from family and friends, video chatting portals play the middlemen.
Video chatting portals are now the mainstay for communication to re-connect with people and find new friends. You can see and talk to your close friends through these portals. In fact, video chatting has also evolved over time and today, people are using it for more than just chatting and seeing each other. They have become another source of entertainment, offering many interesting and exciting ways to catch up. Let’s find out the latest features these video chatting portals have to offer to make your Christmas more warm and cozy.
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Exciting chat rooms
If you are bored of one-on-one chat with people, you can now enter lively chat rooms that many of the good video chatting portals like Paltalk offer. These public chat rooms are perfect for having healthy discussions and sharing ideas. You can socialize with many people at a time in these chat rooms. They are a good medium to network for work too.
Paltalk lets you start live group video chats too, with a specific topic for discussion; or, you can join the already established live chat rooms. There are thousands of rooms discussing everything from politics, to music to beauty and fashion. You can pick your favorite and make new friends.
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Add fun quotient with video filters
Simple chatting can get a tad boring at times, especially on virtual dates, so why not spice things up and make it more exciting using video filters. Video chatting portals like Paltalk have fun video filters that can amp up your style quotient, making you look date-ready. Use the filters to add a natural glow to the face, hide blemishes and get some funky hairdos too. There are some pre-set filters, too, like retro, contemporary and more. You can use these for any of the virtual theme parties planned for this Christmas.
These video filters are perfect for virtual meetings too. You don’t have to spend time doing makeup or styling your hair. All you have to do is use the makeup filters and you can get a formal look, perfect for any official function.
Many of the video chatting apps also allow you to build your filters. If you are good at animation and know a little bit about technology, you can develop your augmented awesomeness.
It’s pretty easy to use these filters. Simply put your camera on and keep your face over your video window. Click on the magic wand and the filter you want will work its magic. Click on the check mark to select the window and the X mark to remove the filter. Any filter you choose will be across all your video chatting rooms and sessions. Once you are bored of one filter, you can always choose another one.
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Fun backgrounds
Bored of the plain backdrop you use for video chatting, it is time to try out some fun ones. Most video chatting portals have a myriad of backgrounds that you can use to add some excitement and flavor to conversations. These backdrops can transport you to an altogether different space in a virtual meet setup. You can choose from formal ones for meetings and conferences to exotic beach locales and snowy mountain tops for more casual conversations. You could also have green screen backgrounds if you want to chat from a place where the surroundings are not up to the mark.
So use different backgrounds to add some excitement during this Christmas season. They will add a flavour to the conversation and also make it look more festive.
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Voice filters
Many of the video chatting apps also have interesting voice filters. You can use these voice tweaks to have fun with friends and family. You can simply disguise your voice and have some fun. Apps like Zoom, Google Hangouts, Duo and Houseparty have interesting voice filters that can be integrated into your normal video chat, making them fun and exciting. You can tweak your voice to any animal or speak in a deep baritone or use autotune to sing with your friends. You can also have some fun voiceovers to entertain the babies in the house. Try out some of the fun voice filters this Christmas to add some merriment.
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Movie nights
Feel like watching a movie, but it is too cold to step out to a cinema hall? Worry not; video chatting portals entertain along with chatting. You can watch any movie from one of your favorite OTT platforms and screen it on your individual screens simultaneously. For instance, Netflix has a Google Chrome extension that simultaneously lets you and your family play a movie. While watching the movie, you can share your reactions in the chat rooms and also pause for an intermission, just like it happens in a movie hall. Use this time to grab a drink and make some popcorn.
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A digital makeover
Give yourself a complete digital makeover while video chatting with this fun feature. Using the AI in these video chatting apps, you can be dressed like your favorite superhero or a movie character. You can try apps like Google Hangouts. They have many funky options. It could be a Christmas-theme makeover where you ask your friends to come dressed as any of the Christmas characters and have a fun at-home party.
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Musical extravaganza
Make this Christmas a musical extravaganza using video chatting portals. Many of these apps have the option of sharing music, videos and pictures. For instance, Paltalk, a leading chatting app in the US, has a feature called MediaPal, where you can put up YouTube and SoundCloud clips in chat rooms for everyone to watch and listen to as a group. You can have discussions over different genres of music too.
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Virtual gifts
If you can’t send gifts to your near and dear ones this Christmas due to some reason, worry not. Technology has made it possible to send virtual gifts anywhere and at any time. So surprise your friends and family this Christmas with virtual gifts using video chatting portals. For instance, Paltalk has a feature called Gifts and Stickers that lets you send e-gifts to anybody. These can be used as icebreakers while chatting with strangers too. It also has a collection of fun stickers to chat with friends and add a festive flair to your conversations.
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Game nights
It is freezing cold outside and all your plans for an outdoor meet-up are canceled… but fret not! You can still have fun with your friends and family with virtual games on video chatting portals like Paltalk andHouseParty. Free built-in games that you can play, like chess or cards are a great way to pass the time.
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3D masks for fun parties
Make this Christmas fun and interesting with 3D masks that some of the video chatting portals offer. ICQ is one such video chatting app that has good masks that can be used for any occasion. Be it a scary Halloween mask, a big pumpkin or a happy Santa Claus or his elves. ICQ has many real-looking masks that can make any festival more fun and enjoyable. You can invite all your friends to a virtual Christmas party and make them wear these 3D masks to create wonderful memories. You can improve the look of these masks with the built-in editor.
Best video chatting with cool features to add to the Christmas cheer
There are hundreds of video chatting apps available today, but not all are great. Some fall short on privacy guidelines, while others do not have enough to offer and entice people. While looking for an app, you should always consider the safety features and after that, check the cost-effectiveness followed by the different types of features and facilities it offers. Here is a list of some of the best video chatting apps that have great features.
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Paltalk
It is one of the most popular video chatting apps in the US. What sets it apart from others are its stringent safety features. It gives its users control and access to data wherever possible and keeps its policies transparent, so the users know everything. It has exciting features like public chat rooms, gifts and stickers, Mediapal and a lot more. In addition, this app has multilingual support and can be used across different OS platforms.
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Discord
All those looking to make their gloomy and cold winters a lot more fun, definitely go in for Discord. This video chatting app has great video games. It allows up to 25 users per call and has interesting features like you can create multiple channels for different groups while playing games. This app can work both on Windows and macOS.
Besides playing games on this app, you can also play music while on a call, share screens and watch clips, videos and movies together. It also gives people the opportunity to discuss books, movies, TV series or any other matter. It enables people to foster friendships and have a sense of community.
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Snapchat
A fun app for youngsters, Snapchat is ideal for calls and creating fun videos. It allows a maximum of 16 users per video call and can be used both on Android and iOS (mobile).
Snapchat has numerous video and audio filters that can make chatting a whole lot of fun. You can have a thousand different appearances using the built-in features while chatting with friends and family. You can also create your own geofilter using a transparent PNG file. You can play songs on a different app and then record a video snap. These are small things to make video chatting a lot more fun.
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Houseparty
As the name suggests, this app is all about having a virtual party at home. Unlike other video chatting apps, Houseparty allows you to join the “house” and then other people from your contact list can also come in. It has some interesting games like trivia, heads up and finishing the song lyrics. All you need to do is download the app and add the contacts onto a call. On top of the screen, there will be a dice button. Click it to see the available games and choose the game you would like to play. This app is available on iOS, Android and the web.
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Skype
Skype is one of the oldest video chatting apps. This desktop app is quite popular as it supports big groups with almost no time limit. You can have about four hours per call for free. It offers some interesting features too. You can use it on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. It has many animated emoticons making it fun to chat on Skype.
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Camfrog
It is one of the go-to-apps if you want to maintain your anonymity while video chatting. It allows you to connect with known and unknown people keeping in mind your safety and security. It has some cool features that make it a favorite amongst people. You can share files, pictures, and videos with people easily. You can chat one-on-one in private chat rooms or have interesting debates and discussions in public chat rooms. It also allows you to send virtual gifts to one and another along with funny emoticons.
To sum it up
Video chatting portals are an excellent medium to bridge the geographical gap between people, especially during cold and dreary winter months. Now with the latest features, these apps offer more than just chatting options. You can use them to make relationships stronger and closer in novel ways. So download your favorite video chatting app and warm up your Christmas with love, cheer, and some virtual connections.
