Nowadays, people are walking around with phones glued to their hands. Because of this, it only makes sense that mobile usage has been rising at a rapid rate.
Mobile devices are so popular nowadays that they have surpassed desktop users.
Aside from spending more time on mobile, people are also spending more time doing video calls on mobile. This is particularly true during the pandemic.
Fortunately, any video calling app works sufficiently on any device. Thus, you can’t go wrong with what device you choose. It all comes down to the features that you want to use.
Whether you want to use a video calling app to make a remote business presentation, take a class online, have a virtual party, or catch up with your family, it’s best to be wary of the minor, yet important difference between mobile and desktop video calls.
What Counts As Mobile?
Before you choose between using a mobile or desktop, it’s best to know what counts as a mobile device.
Typically, desktop devices are those that you cannot use and hold in your hand. Though laptops are technically mobile, they are still considered desktops.
On the other hand, mobile devices include smartphones, such as tablets, phones, and much more. These are devices that you can carry around.
Also, mobile devices typically have a built-in camera. On the other hand, desktops usually need a custom webcam.
Multitasking
Unfortunately, multitasking is extremely difficult to pull off when you’re on mobile. If you’re video calling for a business presentation or meeting, you’re probably not devoted only to your call.
There is a huge possibility that you’ll also need to check your emails and do other things while video calling on a meeting.
This is extremely difficult to pull off when you’re on mobile. Because of this, a desktop is your best bet if you need to multitask while on a video call.
Screen Sharing
If you want to share something very important on your screen, you’ll need to video call using a desktop.
Though you can still do screen sharing on your mobile device, it isn’t as smooth of a process compared to desktops. Your desktop will be easier to share if you are showing a busy screen or a slideshow.
Furthermore, it’s a bit weird to share your screen if you’re using your personal phone. However, you can go for it if you’ve got a work phone.
Control
Compared to mobile apps, hosts have a lot more control over the desktop app. If you’re planning to use zoom to host a meeting, it’s much better to use a desktop instead of a mobile device.
You will need to use a desktop if you want to stream your meeting publicly, start breakout rooms, control who can control your screen, or launch a poll.
Unfortunately, all of these features are not available on the mobile app.
Chatting
If you want a smoother experience when chatting while on a video call, you’re better off on a desktop device.
The built-in chat of a video calling app is its own thing. You can privately message a particular person in the meeting or message everyone.
Unfortunately, it’s extremely difficult to use the chatting feature when you’re on mobile. You might even have a hard time finding this feature.
You can pull out the chat option by clicking the “more” button at the bottom of the application. Unfortunately, chatting will cover the entire screen of your phone.
So, if you want to message other people when showing off your medical overmolding machine, then you should consider using a desktop.
Shortcuts
You will greatly appreciate the shortcuts of a video chatting app if you rely on using it for work. For instance, if you want to mute your microphone immediately, you can simply press the spacebar.
These shortcuts are extremely useful. This is particularly true if you are multitasking. However, these shortcuts are only available if you use the desktop version.
If you’re on mobile, you will need to manually press buttons.
Special Effects
Fortunately, almost every video calling app offers virtual backgrounds and filters on both desktop and mobile devices.
Thus, if you are making a call and want to cover up your dirty background, you can use the virtual background option. It does not matter if you’re on mobile or desktop.
Viewing Options
If you use a video calling app on your mobile device, you can only see a particular number of people at a time in the gallery view.
Of course, this won’t be a problem if you’re just talking to your family members. However, if you’re talking to a large group of people, you need to use a desktop device to get a complete view of everyone.
If you want to show your packaging machinery to at least 4 people, you can use a mobile device.
Conclusion
It does not matter if you use a desktop or mobile when making a video call. Both these devices will enable you to video conference normally. The only difference between these two devices is more specific minor features.
