With the world coming to a grinding halt, video calling and conferencing platforms have emerged as our most-used communication tools. Industry leaders, such as Google Duo and Skype, have, of course, held their own, but it’s the “newcomers” that have topped the “trending” list.
The app in focus, Houseparty, is one such rising star and deservedly so. Launched only around a year ago, the app has garnered enough praise to find itself amongst the industry leaders.
Unlike other apps, Houseparty doesn’t bank on straightforward video calling features to keep its users engaged. It takes the experience a notch higher by incorporating real-time multiplayer games, which you can play with eight of your friends.
The Houseparty development team, however, isn’t ready to rest on its laurels yet, and constantly finds ways to make the app more immersive. Today, we’ll take a look at the app’s latest offering — ‘In the House’ — and tell you how to push the fun quotient to the max.
What is Houseparty’s ‘In the House’ live stream event?
Artists and performers around the world have seen their shows canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, any performer worth their salt knows how important it is to keep their fans engaged, even during a crisis. Hence, they have been looking for ways to reach out without disobeying the social distancing norms put in place by governments.
Houseparty, capitalizing on this situation, is giving them a platform to spread their wings and connect to millions of fans. End users, too, will experience live sessions like no other, as they would be able to co-watch and interact with friends — as they normally do during games — even when a live video session is underway.
The 3-day event would take place between May 15th (Friday) and May 17th (Sunday) and feature over 40 renowned artists.
Where to check the full lineup?
Houseparty has broken its lineup into 5 different categories — Music, Workout, Dance, Cooking, and My Life. For example, artists like Katy Perry and John Legend would feature under ‘Music,’ while Terry Crews would grace the ‘Workout’ category. Additionally, one artist can appear under multiple categories — Alicia Keys features both in ‘Music’ and ‘Workout.’
Houseparty has published the complete lineup on its website. Click on this link to know more. At the top of the page, you would find the dates of the event. Click on the dates to see the artists featuring on that day. To see explore the five categories mentioned above, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on your favorite category.
How to add your favorite artist to the iCal calendar?
As mentioned, Houseparty has lined up over 40 artists to make your upcoming weekend awesome. However, given the tight scheduling, it’s not unnatural to feel a little overwhelmed and anxious. Fortunately, Houseparty has already thought of inconvenience and offers the option to simply add your favorite artists to your iCal calendar.
To add a slot to your calendar, first, go to the lineup page and click on your favorite artist. Then, click on ‘Add to Calendar’ under the yellow ‘Download the App’ button. A dropdown item will be revealed, asking you to add the event to your iCal calendar.
Click on it, and the event info would be downloaded. Click on it to create a new iCal entry.
After the event is added, you’ll see something like the screenshot below:
How to watch ‘In the House’ together?
Now that you know pretty much all about the upcoming Houseparty weekend, let’s take a look at how you could co-watch it with friends.
Houseparty’s recently-launched video player is the main cog behind this giant media system. This player occupies the top half of the screen and evenly distributes the bottom half with up to 8 viewers. The player is completely non-intrusive, meaning you’ll be able to watch the stream without having to sacrifice your friend’s virtual face.
Logging into the app ahead of time won’t do you much good, as there’s no queue to beat. Houseparty will display a banner 30 minutes before each live session, allowing you to get a notification when the broadcast commences. Alternatively, you could also tap on the TV icon, in-app, starting May 15th.
After you’ve tuned in, tap on the ‘+’ icon to add up to seven of your friends. To join a group call — after you’re invited — hit the join button.
What to do if you miss an event?
To accommodate over 40 artists, Houseparty had to create a breathless session. Although the timing is favorable, it’s not unnatural to miss a couple of shows when they are being aired for the first time.
Houseparty has taken this into consideration and has promised to repeat the telecasts 12 hours after they originally aired. It is to be noted that these events will only be repeated once. So, make sure not to miss the second viewing — first repeat telecast.
