Houseparty has become popular among teens and college students mainly because it makes video chatting with friends fast and convenient. Houseparty shows you which of your friends are online; You can then open the app and join a call instantly. You can also play one of Houseparty’s built-in games with your friends during the call – in fact, Houseparty was acquired last year by Epic Games, best known for creating Fortnite.
Houseparty allows users to make group video calls with up to eight people. available for both Android and iPhone; there is also an app for macOS and one Chrome extension that got you in browser version The app (which is still in beta). But both the Mac and web versions are mainly meant to be used as add-ons to the mobile app. Also note that you can only use Houseparty on one device at a time.
Here’s how to create an account:
- Download and open the app
- Tap “Register”
- Enter your email address, full name and date of birth. Enter a username and password. You also have the option to add a profile photo or link your Snapchat account.
- Next, you will need to verify your phone number. Type your number and then tap “Send SMS”.
- Houseparty will send you a code to verify your number. Enter in the screen below.
- Next comes a series of windows that will allow you to add your existing contacts as friends on Houseparty. The app will ask for permission to access your phone and Facebook contacts (separately) to see if someone you know is registered with Houseparty. Either way, you can allow or deny the app access. (Note: If you decline and then change your mind, you can always go back and allow the app to access your Facebook friends or phone contacts later.)
- If you allow access, Houseparty will give you a list of people using the app. Tap the green ‘Add’ button next to the name of each person you want to add to your Houseparty friends, then click ‘Next’. You can also see a list of people who are Houseparty friends with the people you just added (sort of like Facebook’s buddies). Again, tap “Add” next to the person you want to add. You may also get a screen with a list of your phone contacts that are not in the app and asking if you want to invite anyone to the app. Tap the green “Invite” button next to the person you want to add.
- Finally, Houseparty will ask for permission to send notifications and use your microphone and camera. Tap the circle next to each permission. You will see a popup asking you to confirm.
- Is it over? You are ready to use Houseparty!
One thing to note: When I set up my Houseparty account, I didn’t know some of the people on the “add” list and they weren’t on my phone contact list either. Another Verge staff member who added me as a friend on Houseparty was asked to add one of my friends; someone she doesn’t know.
So it might be a good idea to skip importing contacts from Facebook and your phone and instead add contacts one by one. Simple:
- Tap the + sign in the upper right corner
- Select “Invite New Friends” to send a link to a friend through another app. Otherwise, tap “Add New Friend”.
- Tap “Add by Name” to search by username. Tap “Add” next to the person you want to add. Your friends will need to accept your request to connect to Houseparty.
- If Houseparty can’t find them, you can select “Copy Profile Link” at the bottom of the screen to send your friends a link to your profile. The link will either link them back to the app where they can send you a request or ask them to download Houseparty and create an account.
When your friends accept your requests, you can make calls with them. We’ll walk you through all these steps in an upcoming article.
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