Well, the new Microsoft Teams approach fits well as another Instant messaging platform available on mobile and on the web. In a blog post, the company confirms that Teams is switching from a work communications platform to a more personal platform to encourage daily user to user conversations.

Among the new features tagged to the new Microsoft Teams shake-up, personal chatting with contacts, creating to-do lists, scheduling events, and group video calls, stand out as those that will excite users into opting for Teams as a secure and reliable messaging alternative.

But unlike other instant messaging platforms, to add contacts on Microsoft teams, you can either use an email ID or a mobile phone number to start a conversation on the platform. If a user doesn’t have Microsoft Teams installed, they’ll receive an SMS message inviting them to signup and install the application.

With video calling, users can make personal video calls for free for 24hours while group calls can be hosted for 60 minutes with 100 participants. In respect to the COVID19 pandemic, you can host group video calls for free for 24hours with 300 participants even when Microsoft announced that the upgrade is timely and may be suspended by the end of 2021.

In spite of the current COVID19 Pandemic which has attracted bullish growth demand for video conferencing services, Zoom has acted as a clear leader. However, potential security and privacy flaws are to its functionality which has forced some users to search for other alternatives.

For the fact that Zoom is free to use with a 40-minute duration cap, its alternatives are also free with similar to Zoom. Among these, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Cisco Webex, and Messenger Rooms are some of the best to give a try.

5 Zoom Alternatives to consider for Reliable Video Conferencing

Google Meet

Google Meet is remarkably one of the best video conferencing services in the same league as Zoom. Since Google Meet is a Gsuite service, it’s free to use with the ability to add up to 250 users for text, voice, and video chats under the free plan.

To get started with Google Meet, you simply have to sign in using your Google account as a mandatory pass to join or host a meeting on the platform. With a bunch of similarities to Zoom, you’ll enjoy Google Meet’s features even with the free plan (meetings) available for both Gsuite and Individual Google account holders.

Microsoft Teams

Think of Microsoft Teams as a direct competitor to Zoom since it was launched as a serious video conferencing contender in the presence of Skype––another Microsoft service. Teams is part of Office 365 with all functions available for businesses and individuals alike.

To get started with Microsoft Teams, you simply have to register for a Microsoft outlook email address which tags with free access to Office 365 products. By default, the free version of Microsoft teams ships with a 60-minutes duration cap for video calls, unlimited chat messages, and 10GB of Onedrive cloud storage.

Skype

Skype is a legendary video conferencing service that existed way before Zoom left the founder’s launchpad. Having been acquired by Microsoft in 2011, Skype has since evolved year by year with newer features to its functionality, and now, the platform offers direct video calls, and voice calls based on a contacts structure.

In fact, Skype is very secure and respects user privacy which has made it a darling for most users year in year out. To get started, you simply need a Microsoft account to use the service and start interacting with your contacts synced on the platform.

By features, Skype offers screen sharing, virtual backgrounds, screen recording, and extra features similar to what Zoom offers.

Cisco Webex Meetings

Cisco Webex is a secure video conferencing platform built by Cisco Systems for Individuals and businesses interested in hosting webinars, online classes, and virtual business discussions. It’s a platform designed for all categories of users, whether small, mid-sized, or large scale businesses to interact through virtual meetings.

To get started with Cisco Webex, you simply have to fill in the signup form on the service website which grants you a free account that comes with a 40-minutes duration cap for active sessions. By features, Webex is an all-in-one service that can fulfill all your video conferencing needs.

Facebook Messenger Rooms

Messenger Rooms is another great video conferencing service built on Facebook’s billion-user glory. With the service, you can create private or public rooms through Facebook Messenger with a limitation of upto 50 users per room.

However, unlike any of the 4 Zoom alternatives, Rooms are not end-to-end encrypted, meaning they’re not secure to the dot, with a loophole for man in the middle attacks. On a merit patch, Messenger Rooms is the easiest service to get started with since it only requires you to log in to your Facebook account.

In summary, Zoom has a bunch of loopholes tamed around its security and privacy concerns from users. Even though the platform previously introduced end to end encryption and fixed possible Zoom bombing flaws, it still ranks as a clear target since it presently ranks as the most popular solution.

Hence, with Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Cisco Webex, and Messenger rooms, you have multiple choices to choose from, and not limit your taste to Zoom. So, the next time you feel like giving Zoom a break, consider its alternatives for a feature tour.

Since June 2019, a lot has changed with the COVID19 pandemic ruling 2020 in high gear. Amidst the swift change in user statistics due to the current Pandemic in 2020, the mobile apps trend was already preset since 2019.

By Volume, you can easily vote WhatsApp as the most downloaded App due to its billions user mark. However, trends have changed, so are the numbers, and now, Tiktok for one is a platform to watch out for even after 2020.

Collectively, the past year trend shows a bullish rule for Facebook’s suite of apps comprising of Messenger and WhatsApp. Disruptively, TikTok levels the ground by topping the downloads chart since the start of 2020 and only losing April to Zoom due to the COVID19 Pandemic period.

So, for the past 1 year, the mobile downloads chart shows that Apps gain popularity based on short-term trends. For Instance, the FaceApp rule July 2019 due to its young-old trend, and then TikTok with its short videos trend since then. Nonetheless, here is the full list of the most download mobile Apps from 2019-2020.

Most Downloaded Mobile Apps from June 2019 – June 2020

What makes Zoom special is the ability to support multiple users at a go. In fact, a common use case is live television programs where users engage in live opinions and broadcast stories.

But as a Zoom Novice, the first step to using it, is to know how you can set up a meeting and invite participants to join your virtual meet-up. Well, setting up one is not as hard, but requires you to have an active Zoom account, and here is how you can set up your next Zoom meeting.

How to Setup a Zoom Meeting

• Open the Zoom App or Visit Zoom.us

• From the Dashboard, Click Schedule

• From the Open Dialog, Feed in your preferred meeting topic

• Then, Enter the Date and time when you wish to host the meeting
• Then, choose your preferred meeting ID method (auto0generated) or Personal ID
• Enter a Secure password for Your meeting
• Choose whether you want live Video On or Off
• Finally, Click Schedule to finish setting up your Meeting
• To start your meeting, simply click Start on your Zoom Dashboard, or wait for your Scheduled time for an auto-start

• Done: You then share your Meeting Invite link to Participants you wish to join whether via WhatsApp or Email

How to Join a Zoom Meeting

• From the Zoom Dashboard, Click Join or Click an meeting Invite Link sent to you
• Enter the meeting ID you wish to join
• Enter the Meeting password given to you by the host
• Wait for the Host to Admit you/Approve you to join the meeting
• Once Approved, you can participate with either your Live Video and Audio in the meeting
• Done: Once you wish to leave the meeting, click the End button

The new Zoom mark was revealed by its CEO Eric S. Yuan during a Webinar who further promised Zoom 5.0__An upgrade of the Zoom service. According to Eric, Zoom will upgrade its current encryption mechanism to AES 256 bit GCM.

Initially, Zoom didn’t support end to end encryption attracting Man in the middle and sniffing attacks, a factor that raised security concerns from experts and users alike. With AES 256 bit, end to end encryption will now be a default for all Zoom calls.

The encryption upgrade is further to ensure more security for users during video calls. With a new security layer, a host will have easy access to most used security features on top of the ability to enable call waiting.

With 300 Million users currently flocking Zoom for its multiple video conferencing giving strong competition to platforms like Skype. The platform is popular for Meetings, Webinars, Conference rooms, voice (phone system), and instant chats.

Now, Zoom 5.0 with more security features is expected to be out by the end of April, though a majority of the features are already being activated on the current version and all you’d need is to update your App for better security and more extensive features.