Like it or not, no smartphone, including Android, offers a seamless video chat experience quite like Apple’s iPhone. There was a moment when I questioned the decision to use FaceTime chat to keep my family in contact and my failed attempts with video chat on Android confirm that I made the right decision. I am not suggesting that video chat is not possible on Android, but rather that the experience can be more frustrating and demanding than on iOS.
FaceTime, Apple’s video chat application for iOS, offers no new technology, yet nothing compares to its actual use. I got a call from a friend asking to do a FaceTime call. I quickly realized he was using ‘FaceTime’ as a standard way to refer to video chat. Once I got the details, I downloaded Qik, as that app was pre-installed on his Android smartphone.
Seconds later I had Qik installed on my iPhone and was trying to call him. Despite many attempted calls and upgrading his version of Qik, we never could get a call to establish. I suggested Skype, however Skype only supports video chat on the iPhone and some Verizon devices. Despite having the hardware, we could not get video chat to work. Contrast that to FaceTime, where I can easily chat with my parents, sister, friends, and work colleagues with minimal effort, of course, as long as they have an Apple iOS device.
To me, video chat is no different than sitting in the room with others and having a conversation. It is not new, it is not delightful, it is not magical, rather it is just natural. Hopefully some day video chat will be as simple as making a phone call, oh wait it is currently, but only on the iPhone.
Now, please don’t misunderstand. Even this technology is not perfect. You have to be on Wi-Fi, in most cases, and as I have pointed out, it is NOT cross-platform, but it does show how easy it can be if the platforms are supported and the technology is fairly equal. It gives hope for what should be common in the future.
