Stay in Touch

6 free and easy ways for family and friends to stay in virtual touch

It’s fair to say the past few months have been very disruptive with Covid-19 and the government lockdown temporarily restructuring our way of life in rapid and profound ways.

What has become very clear is that the internet has become our fourth utility, essential for providing entertainment, remote working and educating children – especially for those of us in more remote rural communities.

But perhaps most important is staying in virtual touch with family and friends as there’s nothing like seeing their faces to boost everyone’s spirits. However, with so many online services available, it can be hard to know where to begin.

So, here are six easy to use platforms to help get you started – and they’re all free. For video calls from a laptop or PC, you will need a webcam, microphone and speakers/headphones:

1. FaceTime
Video call an individual or group. Easy to use but only works with Apple devices (iPhones, iPads, MacBooks etc.). The app should come pre-installed.

2. Facebook Messenger

Share messages/photos/videos and video call an individual or group. Available on most smartphones and tablets with a desktop version for laptops/PCs. If you already have a Facebook account, just download the app.

3. WhatsApp

Share messages/photos/videos and video call an individual or group. Available on most smartphones but not usually tablets. For longer calls or with more than one person it’s better to use a service accessible on devices with bigger screens.

4. Skype
Video call an individual or a group. Available on smartphones, tablets and laptops/PCs. However, for those less savvy with technology, the platform can be a bit more complicated to use than others on this list.

5. Google Duo

Video call an individual or a group. Available on most devices but mostly android smartphones. If everyone in your family has as iPhone it’s often easier to use FaceTime as the app comes pre-installed.

6. Zoom (free trial)

Video call an individual or a group of people. Very similar to Skype but traditionally used more by businesses. However, works just as well for family catch ups and very easy to use. When setting up a call, create a ‘password’ people have to enter when joining for security.

The above platforms all require a stable and reliable internet connection which can be tricky with more of us at home and traffic moving from roads to routers. That’s why at County Broadband we’re building new Hyperfast full-fibre networks to provide lightning-fast speeds up to 1,000mbps only available to 10% of UK households.

We’re also putting together some exciting new offers for customers who sign up to our network so stay tuned. For the latest updates and to get Hyperfast full-fibre, visit www.countybroadband.co.uk