Starting to miss your friends and family? Want to find some sociable ways to keep in touch instead of just Facetiming all the time? While it sucks that we still have over three weeks to go before we can visit friends and folks outside of our households, staying home is the best thing we can do for our loved ones right now.
Instead, why not find creative ways to stay connected with some of the fun, sociable apps out there that can keep you and your loved ones entertained from home?
Marco Polo
Think of Marco Polo as the child of Snapchat and FaceTime. It's a video messaging app that allows you to message friends by sharing video notes, and they respond when they have the time. Marco Polo makes virtual socialising much more flexible, curbing the anxiety of planning a FaceTime call and to go on a live chat at a specific time. And unlike Snapchat, the video message threads are not time-restricted so you can always go back to rewatch video clips. It's a great app for those who may be working from home, or those who have kids to look after and don't have much time to be on video calls!
Psych!
Get competitive with Psych!, a sociable game created by television host Ellen Degeneres. Psych! is a virtual gaming app where you choose from a variety of fun categories in which each player makes up fake answers to real trivia questions – and you have to guess which is the real answer! It’s a really fun way to stay connected with friends, and it's a great stress-buster at the end of a long WFH day.
Zoom
A lot of companies are using Zoom to communicate while working from home. But now, loads of people are also using the app to keep in touch with their friends and families. With Zoom, you can have group video chats for free for up to 40 minutes. It’s great if you're looking for an app that allows you to have clear, high quality conversations without glitches and audio problems.
Houseparty
Feel like throwing a party but… Can't? Houseparty is one of the hottest video chat apps of the moment, allowing you to video chat and hang out with up to 8 friends in a “room”. Users can also create different rooms to mimic the experience of going room to room in a house party, and can even play party games like Heads Up, Trivia, Quick Draw and more! Don’t want strangers crashing your party? Turn on Private Mode, which limits the rooms to just you and your friends.
Netflix Party
Missing movie nights and friends by your side? Netflix Party is a Google Chrome extension that lets you sync up with other Netflix users, so you can watch a movie or show of your choosing together. You can even chat while the show is playing, using the platform's group chat function! Netflix Party is free, you just need a Netflix account and the Google Chrome browser installed on your computer or laptop.
Lok Lok
Imagine being able to surprise your partner, friends or family with post-it notes as if you were in the same house. Well, you can! Lok Lok is an Android app that lets you draw and send a doodle straight to another person's lock screen. It's a fun and creative way to stay connected and let your loved ones know that you are thinking of them, even if you can't see each other face-to-face yet. Get creative – you can use photos, doodles, text and other drawing tools to express yourself!
Fight List
With Fight List, you'll be given a category and 40 seconds to come up with as many words as possible that are related to it. With more than 1000 different themes, the aim of the game is to come up with more answers than your opponent. This is a game that will really keep you on your toes and kick your competitive spirit into action, making it a great app to help you stay connected with friends and family!
ShareTube
ShareTube is like Netflix Party, but for YouTube. It's free – you just need a desktop or laptop to create a room and invite friends to join, where you can then share videos to watch together while chatting with the in-app chat function. You can also create playlists and add videos to the queue to keep the viewing party going!
Rave
Going to an actual rave might not be possible now, but the Rave app makes it possible to party together in your PJs. Rave lets you sync content from YouTube, Vimeo, Reddit, Google Drive, Dropbox, and Viki with friends in real time, and you can also connect with each other via the chat and voice call functions. Users can also act as a RaveDJ, creating playlists so you can enjoy karaoke parties or just dance it out together to your favorite songs. It's truly a great way to release some of the pent-up energy and combat boredom all at once.
Playingcards.io
If the circuit breaker has you missing the hilarious (and 18+) Cards Against Humanity, look no further than playingcards.io, otherwise known as Remote Insensitivity. The party game for adults has been taken online where up to five players can take part and complete fill-in-the-blank cards to create the most despicable statements possible!