Houseparty App appears to be the No 1 app socializing amongst young people during COVID 19 lockdown. It’s a video chat app which is available for iOS, Android platforms, Mac OS & for Chrome as basically a web app. The concept is offering the experience of a real ‘HouseParty’ in which users can move between rooms -video chatting with others.
Houseparty has been around for quite a while, the coronavirus has just launched it with a bang! It’s had a real resurgence and as of today Sunday 29 March 20202 it’s the Numero Uno in iTunes App ‘most downloaded free apps’.
The Houseparty App is owned by Epic Games, the same dudes behind that game, you may not have heard of it…Fortnite 😊.
Houseparty is rated as 12+ in the App Store. The main focus of the app is a live experience meaning that you can drop in and out whenever you want. The friends you have on Houseparty receive a notification when you are ‘around’ (login to the app)
The key thing with Houseparty is how simple they’ve made it to start chatting. Mmmh. So you can start chatting right away with friends – unless they have chosen to ‘lock their room’.
Users can chat with, between 2 and 8 people at the same time. Within a room users can also text friends and play games within the app.Houseparty encourages conversations between friends and friends of friends. Users can tap a little emoji waving hand to say hi and the phone call emoji to video call. Users also have the option of sharing their screen as well as disabling the camera feature within Houseparty.
he app also has another feature called ‘Facemail. This is effective – an old-skool voicemail but your face is attached to it these are videos left for certain friends to see the next time they login to the app.
Its straight forward. When signing up, the app asks for your phone number and permission to access your camera, microphone and location. It also asks for permission to access your contacts and social media contacts. You know you don’t have to give them all of this. Right?
Note: We also recommend that you should never use the same password more than once when creating an online account or signing up to Social Media platforms or registering on Apps
If you are ever worried about someone else gaining access to your account or someone who might have gained access to an account you own – always change the password right away.
In addition, enable 2-factor authentication (2FA) on sites wherever it is available.
As with all social media apps and platforms it’s important for Parents and Carers to be aware of some of the risks and dangers on platforms and apps. With Houseparty all chats are unmoderated within the app. Friends of friends can also enter rooms and join chats. The app does notify users however – when a stranger enters a room.
Note: Taking screenshots of videos and images is possible within the app and these could end up getting posted or shared across other social medial platforms or the internet.
As always, encouraging regular conversation is key when it comes to Online Safety. Parents should encourage their children who us the Houseparty app to keep their location private, be respective and mindful of what they are sharing and posting to within the app and that someone taking a screenshot of content is a real possibility. Encourage them to leave a Houseparty room if a stranger enters and keep chats private by using the ‘lock mode’ on Houseparty.
Stay Safe
Wayne
Remember to share it with your family & friends.
Business, Career & Life Podcast
