Stay Connected with Family Using Technology

Dec 11,2018

One of TriVita’s Essentials For Health & Wellness TriVita’s Essentials For Health & Wellness is to give and receive love but sometimes distance can make it difficult to stay in touch with loved ones, and phone calls are just not the same as seeing them. Fortunately, technology has helped fill this gap with video calling, and over the past few years, companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft have made it even easier with their free services.

Amazon recently released the Echo Show and Echo Spot. With either of these, you can simply ask Alexa (Amazon’s name for its voice assistant) to call one of your contacts. If the person you want to contact has one of these devices or the Alexa app on their smartphone, you will be connected with a video call. To add contacts, you will need to have a smartphone with the Alexa app and let it sync with the contacts on your phone. The Alexa app works on iPhones with iOS 9.0 or higher and Android phones Android 5.0 or higher. Although the Echo Spot will work for video calling, the Echo Show is most suited for video calls with its larger screen.

If you have an Apple iPhone, you already have video calling built in with FaceTime. To make a FaceTime call to another person on an iPhone, you just need to select the contact from your contact list and click on the FaceTime icon. Alternatively, you can ask Siri to FaceTime one of your contacts. FaceTime will also work on iPads and Apple computers but does not work on Android phones or on any other device or computer.

For those who have an Android smartphone, Google offers Duo. It is an app that comes already installed on later Android phones and is available for download from the Play Store. In addition, Duo is available on iPhones and iPads in the App Store which will allow for video calls with your family and friends regardless of what type of phone they have. After installing Duo, it will sync with the contacts on your phone and show you which of your contacts also have Duo.

One of the pioneers in online video calling is Skype, which is a Microsoft product. To use Skype, you need first to set up an account, and anyone you wish to video call will need to have an account as well. Skype is available in both the Android Play Store and Apple App Store. In addition, it is available for download for both Windows and Apple computers.

To bring even more family and friends together, Skype currently allows you to have group video calls with up to 25 people. Both FaceTime and Duo have announced that they will release this feature soon.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for making video calls with your loved ones, wherever they might be in the world. These services have reduced the barrier to give and receive the love that distance once was.

It is worth taking your time to think about what is important in the longer view, and then make your financial choice. Such an intentional process is more satisfying and thus a healthier choice. Choose a healthy financial story for yourself!