Where do I download the app?
You don't. CamSkip runs in Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android. Use Add to Home Screen if you want an icon; the steps for each phone are below.
01First things first
Is there an app to download?
No. CamSkip is a web app: it runs inside the browser your phone already has, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens with one tap like any other icon.
That is a choice, not a gap. A random video chat app only needs three things from your phone: the camera, the microphone and a connection. A modern mobile browser provides all three, so there is nothing a store download would add except a waiting bar and a permissions list.
You may see a "Get CamSkip App" prompt at the bottom of the screen while you browse. It is the same thing described on this page: tapping it adds the site to your home screen. Nothing comes from a store.
iPhone
How do you put it on an iPhone?
Open camskip.live in Safari, then use Share and Add to Home Screen. Safari is the browser to use for this on an iPhone, because the home screen option lives in its Share menu.
- 1
Open Safari
Go to camskip.live and let the page load.
- 2
Tap the Share button
It is the square with an arrow pointing up, in the toolbar.
- 3
Choose Add to Home Screen
You may need to scroll the list down to find it.
- 4
Name it and tap Add
The lime icon appears next to your other apps.
Video does not need a native app on iPhone. Safari handles two-way camera calls directly. The camera and microphone prompt is covered on how to video chat.
Android
How do you set it up on Android?
Open camskip.live in Chrome and use the three-dot menu to put it on your home screen. The wording differs a little between phones, which is the only tricky part.
- 1
Open Chrome
Go to camskip.live and let the page load.
- 2
Open the three-dot menu
Top right corner of Chrome.
- 3
Tap Add to Home screen
Some phones call it Install app. It is the same action.
- 4
Confirm
The icon lands on your launcher, and you can drag it wherever you keep your apps.
From the icon
What is different when you open it from the icon?
Mostly the frame around it. Opened from the home screen, the site fills the display without the browser's address bar and tabs, so more of the screen goes to the other person's picture. It also shows up in your app switcher under its own name, which makes it easier to get back to after you answer a text.
What does not change is the site itself. It is the same address. Opening from the icon usually carries on the session you had in the browser; if it does not, you simply come in as a new guest. If the camera permission was already granted in the browser, the phone may still ask once more the first time you open it from the icon; allow it and you are done.
Removing it
How do you remove it again?
Like any other icon on your phone. On an iPhone, press and hold it and choose Remove Bookmark or Delete. On Android, hold the icon down and drag it to the Remove or Uninstall target. Nothing is left behind in the way a store app leaves data, because there was never an installed program, only a shortcut to an address.
Removing the icon does not sign you out or clear anything on the site. If you want the browser to forget the site as well, clear the site data for camskip.live in the browser settings.
Side by side
What's different from a store app?
Mostly what you do not have to do. Here is the plain comparison, including the one thing a store app has that we don't.
Browser app versus store app | CamSkip in the browser | A typical store app |
|---|
| Getting started | Open a link | Find it, download it, wait, open it |
| Storage used | Next to none | Takes storage |
| Updates | Always the latest when you open it | You update it, or it nags you |
| Account before first call | Not needed; you start as a guest | Depends on the app |
| Works on a laptop too | Yes, same address | Depends on the app |
| Store page and ratings | None | Yes |
What good looks like
What should a video chat app for meeting strangers do?
Get you to a face, ask for little, and put a real person in front of you. Those three tests, plus a way out, are worth applying to any app, ours included.
It gets you to a face without a detour
On CamSkip a guest session is ready as the page loads. Tap start, allow the camera, and the one-on-one match begins.
There are real people on the other end
Who's online shows who is on the site right now, and you can look by country before you use a match.
You can leave a bad chat
You can end the call when you want to, and the site has report and block if you need them.
Feature check
Does the web version do everything?
Yes. Nothing is held back for a "full" app, because the web version is the full product. From a phone browser you get random one-on-one matching, the Who's online list with its country view, follow, messages from a profile, a video call started from a profile, typing during a call and automatic translation of text messages. Each is described on features.
It is the same on every device: your phone on the bus, your laptop at night. A random call with someone you did not pick, or a call with one girl you chose, both run here without installing anything. The calling side is explained on the random video call page, and if you would rather begin with messages than with a camera, the girl chat page shows how.
On the move
What should you think about on a phone that you would not on a laptop?
Where you are, mainly. A laptop usually sits in a room you chose. A phone goes wherever you do, and a video call from a bus seat or a shared kitchen has other people in it whether they agreed or not.
- Sound. Use earphones in any shared space. A phone speaker carries further than you think.
- Stillness. Prop the phone up. Walking with the camera on makes the picture hard to watch and uses more data.
- Interruptions. An incoming phone call can take over the microphone. Switch on Do Not Disturb for the length of a chat if that matters to you.
- Orientation. Lock the rotation so the picture does not flip when you shift in your seat.
Practical
Does live video drain data or battery?
Any live video does, in a browser or in a native app, because your phone is filming, compressing, sending and receiving at once. A store app is not lighter on the battery than a browser tab doing the same job.
Three habits help. Use Wi-Fi when you can, both for quality and to spare your data plan. Plug in for longer sessions, or at least start above half charge. Close other apps that use the camera or play video in the background. If the picture stutters, the cause is almost always the network, and how to video chat has the fixes.
Other screens
Does it work on a tablet or laptop too?
Yes. The same address works on an iPad, an Android tablet, a Windows laptop and a Mac, with the layout adjusting to the screen. On a computer the built-in webcam is enough, and the bigger picture makes a real difference. The cam to cam page covers webcams, light and framing.
