The best video chat app you aren't (yet) using

No downloads, sign-ins, or data-sharing required  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ [Cool Tools, by The Intelligence](#) Brought to you by: [Patent drop logo]()​ At this point, video chatting has become a common part of our day-to-day lives — and yet, when you really stop and think about it, it tends to be a pretty awful experience. Whether you're using Meet, Zoom, or any other such service (especially one made by a certain company whose name rhymes with Schmapple), starting a virtual face-to-face chat inevitably involves a lot of annoyances. You've gotta download something, create an account or sign in, and share all sorts of personal info with the company behind it. Plus, you've gotta hope (or, more likely, just blindly assume) that everyone else involved in your call has access to the same platform and then force them to download something, sign up, and sign in, too. Ugh. So what if there were a better way — a dead-simple video chatting app that, to borrow a term, Just Worked™? No setup, no sign-ins, no downloads. Use it anywhere, on any device, without sharing any personal info. My friend, such an option exists. Most people just have no idea it's out there. [JR Raphael, Author of Android Intelligence] JR Raphael​ Author of [Android Intelligence]()​ --------------------------------------------------------------- SPONSORED MESSAGE Before we dive in, have you ever wanted to be able to see into the future of big tech? [Crystal ball ]()​ Behind every disruptor (think Apple, Meta, Tesla), there is a future being shaped by a laundry list of ground-breaking technologies being tested, proven, and patented. Now, discovering where big tech is securing new patents has never been easier. Meet our friends at [Patent Drop](), a bi-weekly newsletter that uncovers where tech titans are investing their time and money by scouring the U.S. Patent & Trademark website. Stay ahead of the curve with proprietary news and analysis of innovation at its earliest stage. Subscribe for free today. ➜ [Ready to learn all about the tech of tomorrow, absolutely free?]()​ [SUBSCRIBE TO PATENT DROP TODAY ➜]() ​ Video chat, without the hassles The service I want to share with you today has one of the best names I've ever encountered anywhere in tech. Allow me to introduce you to — drumroll, please... — [Yep](=). Yep? Yep. ➜ Yep is a completely free browser-based service that lets you start an instant video chat room with anyone, anywhere, in seconds flat. ⌚ It will quite literally take you 10 seconds to get up and running. Maybe even less. All you do is [open up the Yep website](=), hit the button to Chat Now, and — well, that's pretty much it. The very first time you do it, you'll probably have to tell your browser that it's okay for the site to access your camera and microphone. But there's really nothing more to it, and you'll be in a virtual room and ready to chat with anyone faster than you can say "in your face, FaceTime." [A simple two-party video chat in the free Yep web tool] ​ From there, things continue to be about as simple as can be: - You can use buttons to send anyone else a link via email or text message to invite them in (with up to 12 people total at any given time). - You can mute your audio or pause your camera. - And you can share your screen — in fact, in an interesting twist, anyone can share their screen at the same time, simultaneously. Oh — and if you'd rather create a room in advance for later use, there's a button to do that on the main Yep home page, too. [The minimalist Yep home page, with buttons to chat now or chat later] ​ And, again, since Yep works right in your browser, it'll work on any type of device — Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Chromebook, internet-connected armadillo, whatever — without any arbitrary restrictions, required downloads, or annoying sign-ins involved. It doesn't even have any limits for how long or how often you can use it, as of now. A Cool Tool to keep handy in your virtual pocket, wouldn't ya say?! 📌 You can [access Yep via its website](=) in any browser, on any device. There is nothing to install, though you can [add the site as a progressive web app]() in browsers that support it for even easier ongoing access. 💰 Yep is completely free to use and even ad-free. (I assume there'll be some manner of optional premium plan or add-on before long.) 🕶 It doesn't require any accounts, sign-ins, or personal info whatsoever, and [the service's privacy policy]() doesn't have anything eyebrow-raising. Now, before we call it a day, time to test your video chat knowledge... ​ This Week's Cool Tools Quiz Which of the following was not the name of a once-real, now-phased-out video chat service? Remember: NO CHEATING! Anyone can look up info on the web. Stick with the spirit of the game and test your actual knowledge without searching. It's just for fun, anyway! [Google Duo]() [UberConference]() [BlueJeans]() [iConference]() Answer correctly before next Wednesday and secure your spot on the [Cool Tools Leaderboard](=)! 👉 Last week's question and answer: Google once had a product called iGoogle. What was iGoogle? iGoogle was a personalized browser “start page” launched in 2005. You could add “gadgets” to see your email, calendar, news, weather, and more. Google shut down iGoogle in 2013. 🤚 Wait! Before you go: What'd you think of this issue? [Thumbs Up](=) [Thumbs Down]( Hit the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to cast your vote and let us know. ​ Want less email? [Update your reading preferences](=) to opt out of any individual publications or unsubscribe entirely. New here and not yet subscribed? Take two seconds to [sign up for our newsletters](): Cool Tools, Android Intelligence, or Windows Intelligence (or all three!). Hungry for even more? 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