Video calling ? Long gone ???

dazzaofdagenham

hi


has the function of video calling died ?


I know it was meant to be the killer function of 3G but now that 4G is here on most networks i thought it would be back


Or with other functions....Google hangouts and other apps has it been confined to the bin.


i have a Lumia 625
darren

pepdavies

You can video call with Hangouts I think. I use Skype to video call my kids sometimes. Maybe people don't talk about much now its so common.

NFH

I don't think even the iPhone supports it via GSM/3G, only using FaceTime via IP, which is a different technology. 3G video calling never caught on because it was priced too high by the networks.

dazzaofdagenham

hi and thanks for the response


i was thinking along the lines that the One plan from 3 includes unlimited data, therefore video call to my hearts content ?

Hooloovoo

NFH wrote: »

3G video calling never caught on because it was priced too high by the networks.

It still IS priced highly by the networks. Most networks still list prices for "video calling" at around 45p per minute and it's not included in any bundles.

This is despite no phones that I know of actually supporting "video calling" any more, in terms of making a video call in a way that would incur video calling charges.

It's all done through Skype, Hangouts, or FaceTime these days.

Hooloovoo

dazzaofdagenham wrote: »

i was thinking along the lines that the One plan from 3 includes unlimited data, therefore video call to my hearts content ?

When using something like Skype, then yes that's correct.

Skype isn't what the service providers class as "video calling".

If you actually make a "video call" (if your phone supports the service) then it doesn't use your unlimited data, it is billed per minute like a normal call.

SteveHenshaw

Video calling is very much alive, it's just been rebranded by whatever companies want to call it - Hangouts, Facetime, Skype - it's all essentially the same thing.

spannerzone

SteveHenshaw wrote: »

Video calling is very much alive, it's just been rebranded by whatever companies want to call it - Hangouts, Facetime, Skype - it's all essentially the same thing.

Well not really, video calling is still available but as already mentioned by Hooloovoo it's charged per minute like a call. However it's become redundant since Skype and other video apps have taken its place which while still offer video calling, it does this using your data allowance rather than a call allowance.

Taken from Three's site for their 'one plan' :

Video call Charges.
Three-to-Three UK: 38.2p per minute

Three to other UK mobile networks: 38.2p per minute

Videomail: 25.5p per minute

Link

Rusty!

The old style video calling is realistically dead, and a good thing too, as it was pants.

The app based video calling is alive and well, and with the right app is multi-platform so it doesn't matter what phones everyone is using.

Kernel_Sanders

SteveHenshaw wrote: »

Video calling is very much alive, it's just been rebranded by whatever companies want to call it - Hangouts, Facetime, Skype - it's all essentially the same thing.

The mobile networks rebranded it as Skype? They strangled the golden goose at birth.