One of the best ways to stay in touch with family and friends while “social distancing” is through the use of free video chat apps like Facetime, Skype, and Zoom.
Here are some tips for spicing things up a bit if you’re sick of showing off your quarantine space and unwashed hair.
Zoom
- Change your background to something a little more exciting like the beach, or another theme that floats your boat.
- Create a loop of yourself paying attention during a meeting. (Not that we condone this, but we all have our off days.)
- Use the space bar to control your microphone… Just because you need a little more excitement in your life these days.
- Use Zoom’s beauty filter for those “in-between shower days.”
Skype
- Blur your background. Workspace looking a little messy today? Use the blur option to keep the focus on you and off that pile of laundry on your couch.
- Send a video message instead of doing a live chat for when you can’t find a time that works for all parties.
- Use Skype Translator to talk with friends and family abroad. The text translator is available in 60+ languages, and the voice translator is available in 10 languages.
- Use Skype’s hidden emoticons to add a little more excitement to your conversations.
FaceTime
- Chat as your customized Animoji or Memoji to add a little flair to your conversations with family and friends.
- Kick things up another notch by adding filters and effects, including features and stickers, to your FaceTime calls.
- Take live photos during FaceTime calls to relive moments of your calls.