Zift Advisory
Free Video Calls and Chat is an app that allows users to send and receive both SMS and MMS texts, as well as free voice and video calling for Android devices. This app is rated for everyone, but is best suited for older teens. This app is free to download, but has advertisements and in-app purchases, available for $0.99 each.
What is video calls and chat?
Featuring a lite platform, the Free Video Calls and Chat app boasts a smaller data size, without cutting out features users like most about messaging apps. Users can enjoy a selection of customizable chat wallpapers, a selection of emoji to embed in chats, in addition to photo, image, and video file sharing capabilities through the chat screen.
Users also enjoy Snapchat or Facebook Messenger-like filters, that can be applied to photos and video calls in the app. Unlike similar apps, free video calls and chat allows unlimited group chats, bypassing group size restrictions familiar to other messaging apps.
It’s worth noting that the free video calls and chat developer website is entirely in Russian, so users looking for app FAQs and Q&As will be hard-pressed to find answers there (unless they’re fluent in Russian).
Common user complaints include poor lighting for video calls (which isn’t surprising, given it’s a free app), issues with online displays showing contacts available, when they’re not actually online/logged in, issues with call connection with weak Wi-Fi connections, and that not all phone types have video calling capabilities.
Is video calls and chat safe for my kids?
With so many other free chat and video call apps on the market, Free Video Calls and Chat is likely not the first app teens would choose for these capabilities, but the ability to have video calling on an Android is appealing, especially to teen Android users who may have many friends using iPhones.
This app is rated for everyone, but is best suited for older teens and adults. Parents should be sure to discuss spending expectations with their children before allowing them to download and use the Free Video Calls and Chat app.
As with all live video chats, parents should be aware that there is no content screening. Parents may wish to encourage their children to add only those contacts they know in real-life, and to immediately report any interactions that make them feel uncomfortable.
Parents should also be aware of this app's permissions policy, which is not ideal for those wishing to keep their information, texting, and phone activity to themselves. Here is just a sampling of the information the Free Video Calls and Chat app has permission to access:
- find accounts on the device
- add or remove accounts
- read your own contact card
- approximate location (network-based)
- read the contents of your USB storage (Photo/Media/Files)
- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage (Photo/Media/Files)
- receive data from Internet
- view network connections
- create accounts and set passwords
- connect and disconnect from Wi-Fi
- disable your screen lock
- full network access
- read sync settings
- run at startup
- prevent device from sleeping
- toggle sync on and off
- install shortcuts
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