Our circuit breaker may be ending on Jun 1, but there’s still a lot that we can’t do. One of them is meeting up with buddies (we’ll have to wait for Phase 2 for that to happen). So until it does, here are some fun things you and your friends can do (if you aren’t already) to hang out online.
Have a Watch Party
By now you’ve probably tried to host movie nights with your buddies long-distance style. There are two popular ways to actually watch something together at the same time: either with widgets like Netflix Watch Party on your Chrome browser, or apps like Rave which allows you to share your favourite YouTube videos in real-time.
Host a Game Night
If you’re not already playing MMORPG with your buds, or are simply not into them, then you can opt to play more classic social games with your friends, like Skribbl, Codenames and Uno.
You can also play your favourite party games live with Houseparty or Bunch – a bonus is they also double as a group hangout app, so they’re perfect for whether you’re having game night or simply a social session.
Of course, you can always head to your Google Play or App Store to scroll through the myriad of games that are meant to be played with friends – these include Mario Kart, Monopoly, and Words With Friends, a scrabble-type game made popular on the sitcom Big Bang Theory.
Have virtual trivia sessions with friends and family with Kahoot! which you can use to create quizzes for free and send the link to as many people as you like.
Enjoy a Karaoke Session
If you’re a karaoke addict, there’s no reason to not have a session with your buddies. You can belt out your favourite songs with them on apps like Smule or 全民Party.
Scroll Through Instagram Together
Instagram’s newly-launched Co-Watching lets friends on a video chat or group video chat browse through feed posts one user has Liked or Saved, or that Instagram recommends. It’s meant to mimic the experience of scrolling through the app together in person.
Up to six people can Co-Watch photos and videos (but not IGTV posts) at once on Instagram. You can share public posts, or private ones that everyone in the chat are allowed to see.
Set up a Virtual Hangout
If you’re just into good ol’ chit chat, or meet new people, then classic virtual hangout tools like Google Hangouts, Zoom or Microsoft Teams are perfect – and they’re free.
If you’re on Facebook, you can also chat with your group of friends and even have fun playing around with filters for a good laugh!
As we ease out of or circuit breaker, it’ll also give us the opportunity to get used to this ‘new normal’ of hanging out with friends online. Not to mention this is also a great way to connect with friends, SOs, or family all over the world!
