Of course, the Christmases of this 2020 will be different from those of other years. That, assuming we can celebrate them as a family, something that remains to be seen. Be that as it may, without a doubt, the main protagonists of these different new Christmases are going to be messaging programs and, above all, video calls and IP calls. Thanks to these programs, we can feel closer to our loved ones even if we are hundreds of kilometers away from them. And, for this, these are the best programs that we are going to be able to use this Christmas to make video calls to our family and friends.
Zoom, now without the limit of 40 minutes of video calls at Christmas
Zoom has been one of the most popular video calling platforms to have gained this year. Due to the pandemic and lockdowns, millions of users have discovered, and used, this tool to feel closer to their own.
Currently, Zoom has a time limit, in its free version, for calls of more than 3 people of 40 minutes. However, the company has decided to eliminate this time limit this Christmas, establishing three ranges of dates in which we can make Zoom calls without restrictions for free:
- December 17-19.
- December 23 to 26.
- December 30 to January 2.
In addition, Zoom has released a large number of Christmas effects that will allow us to animate our video calls. Any type of humor, in these times, is always well received.
We can download Zoom for free from here .
WhatsApp, now with video calls from Windows; will fall?
WhatsApp is the best known and most used messaging platform. In addition to the classic text chats, this platform allows us to make voice and video calls with any of our contacts. In addition, from now on, these calls are also extended to the PC through WhatsApp Web and Desktop, being an excellent option to be able to be connected with our loved ones.
Trusting that WhatsApp video calls will work on Christmas and New Year’s Eve is to be too optimistic. It will surely fall, as it does every year. But it never hurts to take it into account. If we use the hours with less influx of users, it will surely help us to make video calls quickly, easily and without limitations.
We can access WhatsApp Web from this link .
Skype, Christmas video calls from Microsoft
Skype is the video calling platform par excellence. This program, owned by Microsoft, is one of the most used to make video calls, and voice-ip, over the Internet. This program is totally free and with it we will be able to connect with up to 100 people from all over the world within the same call, being able to participate all at the same time without interruptions.
We can download Skype from their website .
Google Meet, easy Christmas meetings with a link
Meet is Google’s new messaging platform that will succeed Hangouts in the medium term. The main feature of Google Meet is that it is integrated into Gmail, being able to use the mail program to schedule video calls or meetings with our family and friends without depending on other programs. On the mobile, the Gmail app works for us, while on PC we can simply join any video call with the browser.
We can access Google Meet from this website .
Jitsi, for OpenSource lovers
The problem with proprietary software is that we don’t really know how it works or how it handles our data. Therefore, if we are defenders of free software, one of the best alternatives we can find is Jitsi. This tool allows us to create video call groups without limit of users completely free of charge, although we will have to set up our own server to be able to use the platform.
We can access this program from here .