From “where are you clubbing tonight?” — a frequently asked question — it has changed to “what are you doing at home?” in the last few days when the country (and the world) has come to a standstill because of coronavirus. So how are party people staying connected with their friends? How are they making up for all the missed catching up sessions and house parties? The answer is Houseparty — an app that has become a rage worldwide, across age groups. The app’s new-found popularity is making staying indoors slightly bearable and fun. The Telegraph decodes the features of the app and why we love it.

1. Called a social “video calling app”, Houseparty is free and can be downloaded on iPhone and Android phones, ipadOS and MacOS.
2. Once you download the app, sign up like you do on most apps and come up with a username. When that is done, you can link your Facebook and Snapchat accounts and see who all are using the app. If you want, you can send your friend a message to join in.
3. Once that is done and you enter the “house”, you can clearly see who all are there. Now every time you log in to the app your friends will get to know that you are in the “house”. If you are looking for a gossip session or a private convo with your bae, you can lock the chat room for privacy.
4. So what makes this video calling app superior than the rest? The feature where you can play games with your buddies who are online as you video call. Yes, and you can add up to eight friends on the list. There are plenty of games to choose from, think Quick Draw (where a word is given to a person who needs to draw it within a given time and other friends need to guess the word), Heads Up (same thing but you need to drop hints about the word or the celebrity without taking the name) and Trivia (that is a MCQ in which one needs to tap on the right answer from three options). This is the best way to connect with friends, get your wine or your cola and snacks and get ready for a dose of virtual house party with your besties!
5. If your friend is not online but you want to share a moment from your house, one can send “Facemails”, just like voicemails. The difference being, along with your voice note you get to show your face. When your friend opens the app, they will get your Facemail! #SoCool
6. The app is a favourite because you can easily enter a chat without having to initiate a call — unless, of course, the room is locked by your buddies for the sake of privacy.

Quick facts and features

1. The app is not a new one. It was launched in 2016 and is presently owned by Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite.
2. The app has been downloaded by millions of people after the outbreak of coronavirus and presently has a rating of 4.9/5.
3. You can use the app on your mobile and desktop too.
4. The plus sign on the top right corner is for you to add or invite friends.
5. Just underneath that there is a image of two dice. Click on those to play games and quizzes.
6. There are dots on the left bottom corner that gives one the option to Share Screen, Disable Camera and Record Facemail.
7. On the top left corner is a smiley sign that has the notification features and gives the user an overview of buddies.

Voices from the ‘House’

(The Telegraph)