Culture

What Is The ‘Houseparty’ App And Why Is Everyone Using It?

You're invited.

by Rebecca Shaw  29 March 2020
Houseparty

Want more Junkee in your life? Sign up to our newsletter, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook so you always know where to find us.

The Houseparty app has had an extreme surge in popularity in recent days, and you might have seen everyone talking about it. So what’s the deal? 

The global pandemic we are all living through has been extremely bad news for most businesses, as people across the globe are stuck inside. But one app, which has quietly existed since 2016, is absolutely going off chops. Houseparty is a free app that allows you to video chat and play games with a bunch of your mates, and LOTS of people are downloading it for obvious reasons. Physical isolation can mean social isolation, so it’s important for people to feel connected. And what better way than by a slightly chaotic video-chat app?

The way it works is by drawing from your various contact lists to help you create a network of friends. Once you’ve added people, the app then shows you who is “in the house”, and who is “online”, meaning you can instantly start a video chat with them, or “around”, in which case you can wave to them, and let them know you want to talk.

However, there’s also the option to “sneak into the house”, meaning nobody will get a notification that you’ve arrived.

One of the main features of the app that sets it apart from just regular video-chat is that it also shows you who is in a room talking to each other, and you can crash that convo. Just like a real house party!

That can be fun! But never fear, if you don’t want acquaintances or even other friends crashing your convo, you can simply lock the room you are in and it prevents anyone else from joining. This obviously can come with its own set of interpersonal drama.

If you’re going to use the app, it’s a good idea to go into the settings and turn off notifications, otherwise you will be receiving updates 24 hours a day about which of your friends are using their phones, and it’s a LOT.

You can also play games in your chat like trivia games and Pictionary, which can be some good wholesome fun way to pass the time.

You can get Houseparty for your phone or laptop, and as always, make up your own mind about sharing personal data and contacts.

So while you can’t have your own houseparty at the moment, maybe this kind of thing can help fill the empty party void for a little while. And on the bright side, there will be less vomit! Probably.