What you need before your first video chat
You need a camera, a microphone and a steady connection. Many phones, tablets and laptops have a built-in camera and microphone.
Pick how you want to connect. You can use an app you already have, or a service that runs in your browser with nothing to install.
Expect a permission prompt. Browsers and apps have to ask before they can use your camera and microphone.
How do you video chat with someone on a different device?
Pick a service that runs in the browser. When the call happens in the page, both participants can join from supported browsers on devices such as an iPhone, an Android phone or a Windows laptop.
For calls with people you already know, the app they use decides what you install. Examples include Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, FaceTime and WhatsApp.
For calls with someone new, you don't need a contact list. A random video chat service matches you with a stranger straight away, and you can leave the call if the match isn't for you.
How to start a video chat step by step
- Open the app or page you'll call from. If you're using a browser, use a current version of Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox.
- Choose Allow when you're asked for the camera and the microphone. If you picked Block by mistake, open the site permissions in your browser settings and allow both devices.
- Look at your own preview before anyone joins. Check the light on your face, the camera angle and whether the lens is covered.
- Say something out loud and watch the input meter. If it stays flat, check whether your mic is muted or the wrong input device is selected.
- Start or join the call, then confirm once more that the other person can see and hear you.
- End the call and stop the tests when you're done. That releases the camera and the microphone for other apps.
If you want the full walkthrough for one app, the guides index has the Zoom, Teams, Google Meet and Discord versions.
Check your camera and mic before the call
Before your first call, check that your microphone is unmuted, your lens is uncovered, and the app has permission to use the right camera.
Run the camera test and the mic test in the panel above. If you want the full-page versions, open the camera test or mic test.
For sound output, open the speaker test. It plays test sounds through the left channel, right channel and both channels so you can hear which side is failing or which output device is selected.
If the other person can't see or hear you
Check the mic icon in the call window first. Unmute it if the icon shows that it is off.
Then check the input device. If a connected headset is selected, turn it on or switch to the built-in microphone.
Close other apps that may be holding the camera. Then select your camera again in the call settings.
For app-specific steps, use the camera not working guide and the microphone not working guide.
Video chat on a phone
On iPhone and Android, camera and microphone permissions can also be managed in system settings.
Hold the phone in landscape if you want to show a room, and check that your hand isn't covering the mic at the bottom.
Mobile data works, but a Wi-Fi connection usually gives you a steadier picture.
If the two people are on different systems, the Android to iPhone guide has the extra steps.
Video chat with someone new
If you don't have someone to call, a random video chat service is the other route. You're matched with a stranger, and you can move to the next person when a match doesn't fit.
On Yapchat the match starts in the page and an account is created for you when you arrive, so there's no sign-up form to fill in.
During a call you can turn your camera off, mute your microphone or mute the other person. Calls aren't recorded, and after you hang up the conversation stays in your inbox so you can keep messaging.
If someone behaves badly, you can report or block them from their profile after the call ends. Yapchat runs 24/7 moderation.