What was Houseparty?
Houseparty was a popular video chat app that let you and your friends hang out virtually. Launched in 2016, it created digital “rooms” for casual group video calls with up to 8 people.
You could pop in and out of chats easily, making it feel like an informal house party. The app notified you when friends were online and ready to chat.
Houseparty aimed to make video calls more social and spontaneous. You could play games together or just catch up. Epic Games bought Houseparty in 2019, but shut it down in 2021 as video chat use changed.
Key features of Houseparty
Houseparty lets you video chat with up to 8 friends in virtual “rooms.” You’ll get alerts when your buddies are online and ready to hang out. The app works on phones, tablets, and computers, so you can join from anywhere.
Want to spice things up? Try the built-in games like Heads Up, Trivia, and Quick Draw. They’re perfect for breaking the ice or livening up your chats.
You can easily add contacts and invite friends to join your parties. Don’t want to be disturbed? You can turn off notifications or “lock” your room for privacy.
Why did Houseparty shut down?
Houseparty, the video chat app you might’ve used during lockdowns, closed its doors in October 2021. Epic Games, who bought the app in 2019, decided to focus on other projects.
The app saw a huge spike in users when the pandemic hit. But as restrictions eased, fewer people were using it. Epic Games felt it wasn’t worth keeping around.
Privacy concerns also played a role. Some users worried about data security on the platform.
Epic Games said they’d use Houseparty’s tech in other ways. They wanted to create new social features for games like Fortnite.
Houseparty’s impact on social media
Houseparty changed how you chat with friends online. It made video calls fun and casual. You could play games while talking, just like hanging out in person.
The app grew fast during lockdowns. It competed with Zoom and Skype for your attention. But Houseparty was more about fun than work calls.
You could join friends’ chats easily, like walking into a real house party. This open approach was new and exciting. It influenced other apps to add similar features.
Houseparty showed that video chats can be spontaneous and playful. Now you see game features in apps like Facebook and Snapchat too. The trend of mixing socializing and gaming in video calls is still going strong today.