Is there any alternative to Meta/Facebook

I just had a look Sue but it seemed to me slanted towards business meetings for some reason. whereas Teams does have a special mention for private conversations. I will look again though but it should be my son who should be sorting this out, he teaches the stuff after all. :roll_eyes:

I use FB messenger on the PC and Wattsap on my tablet which being portable is very handy to move around with to show things to my call person/people. I never use the mobile phone for video calls though, to me its just a phone only and it’s only a week old and too technical for me for things other than saying hello.

But as I said at the start, FB is changing, and not necessarily for the better.

Checked out Google Meet and WebEx but both seem more angled towards business and I suspect there will be a charge at some point, later if not immediately.

Zoom and Teams are both free though at a certain level. Zoom certainly makes a song and dance about business though because there are charging models too but the free one is ok (if limited)

My son got back to me and said he uses both, so we are going to give both a try, perhaps tomorrow.

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Another one that hasn’t been mentioned is Viber. We’ve been using it for about 8 years and the video and audio quality is just awesome. It works on a computer but you might need to start with a smartphone (not sure- we did). I think it is popular in Eastern Europe because my SIL in Odesa got us started. It’s completely free and unlimited within the app but you can use it to (optionally) dial out to any phone number anywhere (extra cost for this) for someone who doesn’t have the app on their phone or computer.

I use Zoom, not that hard to get going, (though you may have to call in Eddie for the initial setup @David_Spardo )

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The thing with any service you don’t pay money to use is that, one way or another, you will be the product eventually. But any video call service will need to find a way to monetise, and going to business is the most obvious.

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Google Chat/Meet works with Firefox, but you might well need to create an account (or give Google your email address) to initiate a video call.

The somewhat annoying thing with video chat in browsers is that each supplier has done their own thing, with better or worse user interface design and functionality. At work, we have Google Chat for Workspace, Cisco WebEx, Zoom, Teams and another one I can’t remember because I hardly ever use it. Personally, I don’t like Teams, but most of my EU clients use it, whereas paradoxically most of the US people I work with use Zoom. When I get to organize the meeting, I use Google Chat/Meet, it serves my purpose adequately.

During Covid, we used Google Meet for the family video calls.

Otherwise, there’s also Signal which is available for computers, but I don’t remember now whether you have to give them your phone number in order.

Whatsapp is owned by Meta, so that was a nay from me. Annoyingly, on my recent work visit to Japan, the delegation I was part of insisted on WhatsApp for communication, so I installed it temporarily on my phone and then deleted it as soon as the trip was over.

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Thanks for that but I think we might try Zoom and Teams first seeing as my son is already using that and it is only him that I will use it with. Then I will consider telling everybody what I am doing and kick FB into touch after the way they have mucked me about.

Not only this but they have first cancelled my account in the early days by mistake, and no apology, and then, without me knowing it trippled my membership so I had contacts all over the place and took me some time to get everybody on the same page.

Perhaps Wire - https://wire.com/en/pricing …? Depends what it’s needed for: I think it’s essentially a business conferencing affair, but has a free version (max 5 people/8 devices), does audio/video messaging but not conferencing (which looks to mean >2), supports end-to-end encryption. Don’t know more than the info at the link, so not sure about installation protocols & smartphones …

Not sure that that is re-assuring given that it was mention of that that started all the trouble with Meta. :roll_eyes:

We used to Skype with our daughter and other but have used Whatsapp for quite a while now both on the computer, the best option, and on our phones. Never had a problem with it and we will stick with it as so easy to use.

That’s the important bit, you need a smartphone to set it up in the first place. :rage:

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Which is why I don’t use it (amongst other reasons)

A Cunning Plan. There are tutorials on YouTube you can follow:

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This end to end encryption thing on Meta/FB is causing no end of problems. As I said before I can’t video call my son in Thailand and can’t do the same with my friend in the Dordogne. Same with anyone in the UK.

But, my local friend who runs the dog kennels and most other people in France I can video call. So, it seems that international is out, and 2 people in France are too. Is it a coincidence that they are the same 2 where this encryption nonsense is mentioned and I am urged to accept some sort of way to get into it? At the moment messages to these 2 disappear shortly afterwards as well.

I have followed all the help, so-called, from Meta but there simple aren’t all the steps to click where they say they are. They want a pin number from me and a 40 digit code, neither of which I have ever had and their route to get them simply doesn’t work.

I downloaded Zoom but so far haven’t found out how to connect with anyone. The phrase ‘doing my head in’ hardly covers it as I go round and round in circles.

Anybody else having such problems, or am I the chosen one?

BTW @ChrisMann I haven’t tried your vids yet, I think that is the next step, but not confident.:roll_eyes:

How Zoom works is that you set up a meeting at a mutually agreed time, and then invite one or more people to attend. They get sent a link by email which they click on to join the meeting (first having installed the Zoom software of course).

You as meeting organiser then graciously admit them, and you can then talk to each other; being able to see each other as well is optional and of course depends on both ends having camera-equipped computers or phones / tablets.

Yes that is what I thought but when I get to the point of setting up a meeting there doesn’t seem any way to indicate the person I want to join in.

My son did send me a very long link but of course, thanks to Meta (spit) it didn’t stay long enough to copy down.

Got to nip out now to water the flowers, rain was forecast for today but somebody hasn’t done the right steps to the rain god again, I have been hanging on as it has been overcast all day, but no rain.