Three years ago, the introduction of video chat held the promise of transforming the way we work. However, the reality is that we only saw minor improvements in video chat capabilities. The importance of video-first communication intensified during the covid pandemic. Suddenly, people were relying on video chat for work, school, and even family visits. This led to a surge of interest in apps and platforms that aimed to make the experience of sitting in front of a webcam more exciting.
Remember when video chat apps were everywhere? Numerous companies released features that allowed people to watch videos together. Meta, for example, launched 50-person Messenger Rooms. Apps like Houseparty and Marco Polo gained immense popularity for video messaging. Hopin sought to recreate the feel of attending in-person conferences virtually. Mmhmm offered fun options and effects to make video calls more engaging. Snap Camera became a go-to for adding filters to video calls. Even Verizon invested heavily in video conferencing by acquiring BlueJeans for around $400 million, with the promise of integrating it with 5G.
Zoom, on the other hand, became a household name overnight and even became synonymous with video chatting. It expanded its reach by introducing an app store, an events platform for various activities, and a suite of productivity tools centered around video chat. In partnership with Meta, Zoom even ventured into Meta’s Horizon Workrooms VR productivity space.
Despite all these advancements, the actual experience of video chat may be more monotonous than ever. As people return to pre-pandemic gathering norms (even Zoom is requesting some employees to come back to the office), the market is dominated mainly by tech giants, and the pace of innovation has significantly slowed down. This is a common trend with many tech changes triggered by the pandemic, but video chat was expected to have a lasting impact.
Hopin recently decided to offload its events and webinars businesses to RingCentral in a strategic move. Mmhmm is still operational, but it hasn’t gained much popularity beyond colleagues or fellow tech journalists. Houseparty, created by the same developers as Meerkat, was acquired by Epic Games in 2019 but eventually shut down in 2021. Verizon also recently announced the shutdown of BlueJeans. Even Snap had to discontinue Snap Camera.
So, what does the current landscape look like? Zoom remains a dominant player, and I regularly participate in briefings and meetings using the platform, even though Vox Media primarily relies on Google Meet. However, Zoom calls still feel relatively similar to the early days of the pandemic, despite the addition of facial effects, avatars, and AI summaries. Zoom is now striving to expand beyond video chat, but I personally don’t know anyone using its Slack-like Team Chat or email and calendar services. I’ve only attended one event on Zoom’s virtual events platform.
Google Meet has made significant progress. In a wise rebranding move, the app transitioned from “Hangouts Meet” to “Google Meet” in April 2020, separating itself from the defunct Hangouts brand. Google has addressed missing features and improved overall stability over time. When using Google Meet, I don’t have to think about how to navigate the app, which is a testament to its user-friendliness. However, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that using Google Meet brings me joy.
Microsoft continues to invest in video conferencing features for its Teams collaboration app. I applaud the integration of Snapchat’s Lenses to add some fun to video calls. However, it’s ironic that Microsoft is investing so much in another straightforward video chat solution when it already owns Skype.
The future of video chat apps isn’t entirely bleak. Apple has some intriguing ideas lined up for macOS Sonoma, including features borrowed from other apps. Users will be able to display their face in a movable bubble, increase their size to draw more focus, and use gestures to trigger animated reactions. These changes will likely be available across various apps like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco’s Webex. But are animated fireworks really the most exciting addition we can make to video chat?
For casual video calls with friends, Discord’s Activities feature allows you to play games or watch YouTube videos together. If your workplace uses Slack, I highly recommend its video huddles for spontaneous conversations that mimic the feel of in-person desk-side chats.
However, it’s safe to say that the era of being excited about video chat apps has passed. Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams are undoubtedly reliable and offer features like custom backgrounds and emoji reactions. Yet, when I join a video call, I find myself still staring at boxes of people, and the apps have become utilities that lack the excitement they once held. Instead of revolutionizing communication, video chat has become just another way to make a phone call.
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Alex Smith is a writer and editor with over 10 years of experience. He has written extensively on a variety of topics, including technology, business, and personal finance. His work has been published in a number of magazines and newspapers, and he is also the author of two books. Alex is passionate about helping people learn and grow, and he believes that writing is a powerful tool for communication and understanding.
