Have you used video calling (Zoom etc) with family?

[Deleted User]

Interested as to whether families are connecting virtually and how.

pramsay13

Yes (games and chatting)

We've been using Google meet which doesn't have a time limit.

Savvy_Sue

Yes (just chatting)

I've been speaking to my siblings more now than I ever used to, every 2-3 weeks, although it's a struggle because there's a lot of deafness so even more "Can you hear me? I can't hear you!" going on than usual. Just chatting is enough (and so is half an hour!): the idea of playing games doesn't appeal, but maybe that's childhood trauma from one of them throwing the Monopoly board across the room when they weren't winning. We use Zoom: have tried Jitsi and Google Meet but one of us doesn't have the technology for those. 

We speak to the boys slightly less frequently, on Jitsi. They're tolerant of my enthusiasm for this. "Why should we want to speak more frequently, when we're not doing anything so we've got even less than usual to talk about?" was one comment. I pointed out that NOW there was a big scary virus which meant I needed to check up on them a bit more. I'm hoping to persuade them to chat again, but it will probably be next weekend, for DH's birthday, rather than this weekend for Father's Day. 

What astonishes me is that BIL has got MIL and FIL to Zoom with some of their friends! FIL is, to put it mildly, not keen on computers, so I'm amazed he's agreed to do it, or that he can cope with it. Apparently they were playing charades. 

JReacher1

Yes (games and chatting)

Facebooks new chat room is pretty good. No time limit and I think it’s better than google. I switched to that from zoom. 

gettingtheresometime

Been using FaceTime when contacting mum

[Deleted User]

I used Google Meet just to chat, then after my Dad’s work zoom catch up (and a quiz), I switched to Zoom with my Grandparents using lots of amazing virtual backgrounds and a few hard quizzes.

hb2

Yes (just chatting)

We use 'google hangouts' to video-call with our son and have managed to get OH's family together that way too.

[Deleted User]

hb2 said:

We use 'google hangouts' to video-call with our son and have managed to get OH's family together that way too.

I used Hangouts first, then moved to zoom.

newatc

Zoom good for quizs and other games but chatting with lots of others can become chaotic.