Video call online
Meeting remotely just got easier. Boost your business productivity with online video calls.
Unlimited AI-powered video meetings for up to 100 participants
HD voice with AI-noise cancellation for clear communication
AI meeting transcription, summaries, and insights
Written by Ben Wu
Senior Manager, Product Marketing
Reviewed by Esther Yoon
VP, Product & Industry Marketing
Updated: 03 September 2024
Technology has drastically changed the way we do business. With teams now more distributed than ever, video calling has become a key tool for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and enterprises alike. To achieve seamless collaboration, maintain company culture, and boost productivity, you need a reliable online video calling solution.
Luckily, RingCentral is here to help! We offer an all-in-one online video call app ideal for companies with multiple offices and dispersed employees, and just about any organization that regularly conducts online meetings. Are you ready to reap the benefits of video calling online?
What is video calling?
A video call is like a regular phone call, except you and the person you're calling can see each other. With an internet connection and any desktop or mobile device, you can video call online with anyone! Because of the live video element, you can expect your conversations to go beyond what traditional voice calls offer.
This is one of the reasons why video calling is used extensively not only for keeping in touch with friends and loved ones but also for keeping businesses running.
How to video call for business
Once you’ve downloaded the RingCentral Video app for mobile, desktop, or web, you can start a business video call instantly:
- Open the app
- Open the conversation of the person you wish to call
- Click the Video icon to start a video call.
If you’ve scheduled the call via an integrated calendar, the host and all participants will receive a notification when it’s due to start.
To share your screen during a meeting, just click Share from the in-meeting controls, select the screen or application you want to share, and click Share again.
To use the RingCentral app to join a meeting you’ve been invited to:
To share your screen during a meeting, just click Share from the in-meeting controls, select the screen or application you want to share, and click Share again.
To use the RingCentral app to join a meeting you’ve been invited to:
- Open the app
- Navigate to Video via the left-hand navigation bar
- Click the Join button on the far-end of the meeting you wish to join.
Alternatively:
- In your Microsoft Outlook or Google calendar, open the scheduled meeting
- Click the meeting link
- Enter your name in the field
- Click the Join meeting now button.
How to record a video call online
Recording video calls is super-useful—you can store them for future reference, you can send them out to anyone who missed the meeting, and you can use them for training. With RingCentral Video, you can also get AI-generated summaries, transcripts, keywords, and a highlight reel.
Here’s how it works in the RingCentral app: If you’re the host, just click on the Record button located at the bottom of your meeting screen. A red dot and a timer will appear on the bottom left to show that recording has begun. That’s it! Recording will stop when the call ends.
To access the recording, go to the Video tab in your app and select All recordings.
To access the recording, go to the Video tab in your app and select All recordings.
Everything you need for live video calls from RingCentral
Video call from a browser:
No downloads
There’s no need to download RingCentral’s apps to video call. You get a
full-featured meeting experience via your web browser that’s perfect for external stakeholders and clients. Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari are all supported for desktops and both Safari and Chrome are supported on mobile devices.
full-featured meeting experience via your web browser that’s perfect for external stakeholders and clients. Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari are all supported for desktops and both Safari and Chrome are supported on mobile devices.
Use and switch between any device
Wherever you are and on whatever device, RingCentral video calls have everything you need. The full experience of whiteboards, screen sharing, annotation, and more is there on mobile devices as well as desktops. What’s more, you can easily switch a live video call from one device to another with just one click or tap.
AI for smarter video calls
Video calls with RingCentral Video are AI-powered for greater productivity and efficiency. Transcription and captioning make for more inclusive video calling, while AI summaries give you quick and accurate recaps without the need to take notes or rewatch recordings.
Collaborate to boost productivity
Sometimes simple video calls need a little extra something to get the creative juices flowing. With RingCentral Video you can collaborate on digital whiteboards, split into smaller breakout rooms, share collaborative notes, and more.
Start live video calls in seconds with RingCentral
You can instantly start a RingCentral Video video call from the mobile, desktop, or web app and invite who you like.
Starting a video call
on mobile device
In the RingCentral mobile app, there are two main ways to start video calls.
If you’ve exchanged messages with the person, group, or team you want to video call:
- In the existing relevant conversation, tap the Video icon at the top right
- If it’s just a two-person conversation, your video call will start immediately.
- If there are more people in the conversation, tap Start video call in the menu and then tap Start to confirm your group video call.
If you don’t have an existing conversation to start your video call from:
- Tap Video on the bottom menu bar
- Tap Start at the top left
- Follow the onscreen instructions for joining the call audio
- Tap Invite others to the meeting and then choose how to invite your chosen participants. Options include finding existing RingCentral contacts, sending invites by email, copying the meeting link, and more.
Starting a video call in
the desktop or web app
It’s just as simple when using the desktop app or web browser.
If you’ve exchanged messages with the person, group, or team you want to video call:
- In the existing relevant conversation, click the Start video call icon at the top right
- If it’s just a two-person conversation, click Start screen share and your video call will start immediately.
- If there are more people in the conversation, click Start huddle and then choose Start in the popup window to confirm your group video call.
If you don’t have an existing conversation to start your video call from:
- Click Video from the navigation bar
- Click Upcoming meetings and then click Start
- Follow the onscreen instructions for joining the call audio
- Click Invite in the bottom menu bar and then choose how to invite your chosen participants. Options include finding existing RingCentral contacts, sending invites by email, copying the meeting link, and more.
Free video calling and more from RingCentral Video
There are robust video call solutions available for businesses of every size. With so many video calling apps online to keep your team connected, how do you know which one to choose?
If you’re looking to video call for free and want more advanced features, your number one choice should be RingCentral Video! Check out just some of what we offer, to learn exactly why RingCentral is hailed the best video call app by many:
If you’re looking to video call for free and want more advanced features, your number one choice should be RingCentral Video! Check out just some of what we offer, to learn exactly why RingCentral is hailed the best video call app by many:
In today’s workplace, meeting overload is a major cause of stress and fatigue—which leads to the greatest challenge of all: loss of productivity. With each recorded RingCentral Video meeting, you get meeting summaries, video highlight reel, meeting transcript, chapterization, and more, allowing you to quickly catch up.
You don’t just want a video call app; you want a holistic communication solution. Take advantage of various tools to brainstorm and discuss during a meeting, including unlimited interactive whiteboards and collaborative meeting notes, which are then stored in a post-meeting collaboration hub for your team to continue to work on outside of the meeting.
Your video calling app must be naturally intuitive to make onboarding easy. Your staff should be able to navigate it without having to consult lengthy manuals, FAQs, or your IT department. That's exactly what RingCentral offers: an easy-to-use online video call app that can be used by tech noobs and veterans alike.
Trusted video calling providers earn that trust (and may cost a little more) by helping you avoid dips in productivity caused by downtime. RingCentral offers a high-availability infrastructure—that's 99.999% of uptime, meaning the service is only down for a few minutes each year. This ensures business continuity no matter the situation.
If there's one video calling feature that brings digital meetings a step closer to or even better than in-person meetings, it's having access to data and analytics. RingCentral offers a powerful analytics suite that lets you monitor call quality, track the amount of time spent on meetings, and access live reporting to help you make informed decisions. We told you it was a lot more than just online video calling!
How can video call apps benefit your business?
A video call app is a must-have for modern businesses—and it‘s easy to see why. Video calling benefits are far-reaching and offer a significant return on investment (ROI). Using the best video call app can mean:
- Less travel. If your dispersed teams simply have to open a video calling app to meet and collaborate, it means less travel time and fewer travel-related costs.
- More diverse workforce. Removing geographical barriers opens the doors to hiring top talent from all over the world.
- Enhanced market penetration. You can reach global markets without having to leave your HQ.
- Boosted productivity. Utilizing features like file-sharing and virtual whiteboards (which are built-in to RingCentral Video), employees can collaborate on documents in real-time, making video meetings even more productive than in-person ones.
- More closed deals. Sales teams can close more deals by turning simple audio calls into live demos, allowing for more personal connections with customers.
- Increased customer retention. Show customers working prototypes and solve their problems on the spot via screen sharing and easy video calling online.
An online video call service and a whole lot more
RingCentral Video offers everything you could want from video call software and more. With a range of plans available, you’re sure to find what you need, whether that’s a simple free video call platform or an advanced solution for enterprise-level meetings and webinars.
Discover other features of RingCentral Video.
Video call app FAQs
There are many apps that can help you set up and manage a business phone number, but we of course recommend RingEX as the go-to option.
You can choose a number (or numbers) that match your business needs, and enjoy the option to select local numbers, toll-free phone numbers, or vanity phone numbers. And since RingEX is available on all platforms, it’s viable no matter what devices you use.
You can choose a number (or numbers) that match your business needs, and enjoy the option to select local numbers, toll-free phone numbers, or vanity phone numbers. And since RingEX is available on all platforms, it’s viable no matter what devices you use.
This depends entirely on what your business does and what you’re hoping to achieve, but the mobile apps that are most useful to your business will largely be those that help you with everyday tasks. An app that helps you create invoices, for example, might be invaluable if that’s something you often need to do.
If your business requires a lot of communication, though, and particularly if much of that communication takes place over the phone, RingEX has the potential to radically improve your regular operations. With the RingCentral mobile apps, you can take charge of your comms no matter where you are, keeping you in the loop and preventing factors like travel or office space issues from causing trouble.
If your business requires a lot of communication, though, and particularly if much of that communication takes place over the phone, RingEX has the potential to radically improve your regular operations. With the RingCentral mobile apps, you can take charge of your comms no matter where you are, keeping you in the loop and preventing factors like travel or office space issues from causing trouble.
As long as they have a device that’s enabled for video calls, then yes! Usually, you can just send them an email invitation with a clickable join link, or a phone number they can use to dial in. With RingCentral Video, there’s no need for them to download the app (unless they want to!), as the meeting will run in their browser.
Video calling is really useful for liaising with external participants, including customers, partners, and stakeholders (as well as potential new hires). For example, you could use screen sharing to show design work to a client, or present your quarterly figures to an investor.
Another use case is for customer support, using video to walk someone through how to use a product or resolve a technical issue.
Video calling is really useful for liaising with external participants, including customers, partners, and stakeholders (as well as potential new hires). For example, you could use screen sharing to show design work to a client, or present your quarterly figures to an investor.
Another use case is for customer support, using video to walk someone through how to use a product or resolve a technical issue.
Video chatting is when you video call online from a chat platform. While the terms “video chat” and “video call” are sometimes used interchangeably, one thing to keep in mind is that not all chat platforms have video call functionality.
Video chatting allows you to switch between text chatting and video calling with the click of a button. For example, RingCentral’s messaging platform comes with video calls in the Standard, Premium, and Ultimate RingEX packages. Accessing it is as easy as tapping the camera icon within an active text chat.
Video chatting allows you to switch between text chatting and video calling with the click of a button. For example, RingCentral’s messaging platform comes with video calls in the Standard, Premium, and Ultimate RingEX packages. Accessing it is as easy as tapping the camera icon within an active text chat.
If you have the right video call app, you don't need a sophisticated setup to video call online.
Here are the must-haves:
Here are the must-haves:
- Data or wi-fi connection
- Computer or smartphone
- Microphone and camera.
The great thing about modern video calling is that you can use any internet-connected device to make or join a call. That includes desktop computers, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones. All you need is a stable connection, plus good speakers and a mic.
RingCentral Video users will enjoy the same HD-quality calls and smart features whether they decide to use the app or a web browser. The platform is compatible with Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari for desktop, and Chrome (Android) and Safari (iOS) for mobile.
RingCentral Video users will enjoy the same HD-quality calls and smart features whether they decide to use the app or a web browser. The platform is compatible with Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Safari for desktop, and Chrome (Android) and Safari (iOS) for mobile.
To schedule a video call on RingCentral's web app, you only need five steps:
- Log in.
- Click Schedule.
- Enter a meeting name.
- Select the calendar.
- Click Schedule.
It's as simple as that! The best part—RingCentral's online call app works on all Windows and Mac devices, so you don’t have to worry about any compatibility issues.
Yes, absolutely! Well, that’s assuming your cell phone is an internet-enabled smartphone—you won’t be able to video call on an older phone that only does voice calls and SMS texts. From a smartphone, you can make or join video calls anywhere, anytime.
Either download the RingCentral Video app or use your browser. Once you’re up and running, you’ll be able to access cool features like the ability to switch between devices mid-meeting. Go from mobile to desktop to see a bigger screen, or desktop to mobile when you’re heading out of the office—all without dropping the call.
Either download the RingCentral Video app or use your browser. Once you’re up and running, you’ll be able to access cool features like the ability to switch between devices mid-meeting. Go from mobile to desktop to see a bigger screen, or desktop to mobile when you’re heading out of the office—all without dropping the call.
No laptop? No problem!
Pretty much every business video call platform offers phone apps in addition to the web and desktop, making it easy to access video calls from any mobile device.
Whether you're an iOS (iPhone/iPad) or Android phone user, video calling online when you're on the go is also fast and convenient.
To schedule a video call using RingCentral's mobile app:
- Log in to the RingCentral app.
- Tap Video > Schedule.
- Customize the meeting in the Schedule screen.
- Select calendar application to schedule the invite.
- Configure the rest of the settings, and you're all set!
Yes, your smartphone probably already has that functionality! Many Android and Apple devices have pre-installed social networking apps that make video calling online possible, like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and FaceTime. There’s also similar software available on app stores.
If you need online video calling for business, however, you are better off downloading an app for video calls like RingCentral Video. Because it is anchored on a powerful unified communications platform, it allows you to host and join online meetings wherever you are, no matter what device you're using.
Plus, it offers a wide range of advanced features, like AI-powered insights and transcriptions, content sharing, and more. You don’t get those with consumer-focused, free video calling apps.
It’s true that video calls use more data than voice calls, because you’re transmitting images as well as audio data. Data consumption for video calls varies between providers, and it’s also dependent on the video quality, the number of people participating, and the screen-sharing activity.
For example, RingCentral Video—for a video call with more than 10 people—uses a maximum bandwidth of 1750 Kbps to transmit, and 4000 Kbps to receive.
With most providers, it’s possible to join a video call via a dial-in phone number. This is useful if your device doesn’t have a microphone or speaker, or if you have a poor network connection and you want to use your phone’s mic and speakers for a better experience.
From a RingCentral Video meeting:
From a RingCentral Video meeting:
- Click Join audio
- In the Choose how to join audio window, click Dial in
- Choose your location in the Country dropdown
- Call any of the listed Dial numbers
- Follow the prompt to enter your Access code and Participant ID.
Video conference platforms for businesses aren't just a nice-to-have anymore—they're a must-have. Depending on your company size and needs, RingCentral promises to have a high-quality solution that works within your budget. Check out RingCentral's products and pricing to learn more.
There are lots of free video calling apps to choose from, including Zoom, Skype, and Google Meet (free with a Google account). They’re ideal for chatting with family and friends, and many small businesses use them too. But the problem with most of these is that they have limited functionality and don’t give you much leeway when your business grows.
If you do want to use a free app, you’re best off with RingCentral Video Pro, which gives you unlimited 50-minute video meetings for up to 100 participants as well as HD quality video and enterprise-grade security. You can also upgrade to RingCentral Video Pro+ and RingEX at any time.
If you do want to use a free app, you’re best off with RingCentral Video Pro, which gives you unlimited 50-minute video meetings for up to 100 participants as well as HD quality video and enterprise-grade security. You can also upgrade to RingCentral Video Pro+ and RingEX at any time.
You guessed it—we think it’s RingCentral Video. It gives you high-quality video calling with screen sharing, text chat, and file sharing capabilities, plus built-in team messaging, task management, and email and calendar integrations.
You can store up to 100 hours of recorded conferences, and you’ll also get AI-powered live transcriptions and closed captions, and post-meeting summaries and highlights. Security includes dynamic end-to-end encryption, waiting rooms, and host controls—and the platform is GDPR, HIPAA, and HITRUST certified.
It’s easy to add or remove users as your business evolves, and RingCentral Video works seamlessly with the other RingCentral tools.
You can store up to 100 hours of recorded conferences, and you’ll also get AI-powered live transcriptions and closed captions, and post-meeting summaries and highlights. Security includes dynamic end-to-end encryption, waiting rooms, and host controls—and the platform is GDPR, HIPAA, and HITRUST certified.
It’s easy to add or remove users as your business evolves, and RingCentral Video works seamlessly with the other RingCentral tools.
Yes, if you want to. One option is to turn off the cameras at the start of a meeting, and just use the audio. But with RingCentral Video, you can choose to make an individual voice call from the same app:
- Open the RingCentral app
- Open the conversation of the person you want to call
- Click the Phone icon to call them.
If you’re on a phone call and you want to turn it into a video call, you can do that with RingCentral, too. No need to end the current call and send a video meeting invite—just click Video within the active call and select Switch to video call or Share screen.
When video calling online—whether for a virtual meeting, a sales demo, or a webinar—you need a few fundamental controls to keep your calls productive:
- Mute/unmute microphone - Use the mute button to eliminate background noise when a meeting is ongoing. Use the unmute button to allow the other participants to speak. You can also enable them to unmute their microphones on their own.
- Turn on/off camera - Use these controls to turn your camera on or off.
- Record meeting - Use it to record the meeting. You can pause and resume as needed anytime during the call. But before you hit that button, remember it's always good practice to warn participants that a meeting is being recorded.
- Search - Use it to look for specific participants in an ongoing meeting.
- Show/hide participants - Use these controls to view all participants and manage their roles during the meeting.
- Open/close chat - Use open chat to enable instant messaging and send a message to all or any of the participants. You may also disable it anytime during the meeting.
- Prevent new participants from joining the meeting - Use it to lock the call, essentially preventing new participants from joining the meeting. Simply unlock it to allow them to join.
- Assign moderator role - Use it to assign a moderator role to a specific participant. The participant will then be granted host controls.
- Hang up - Use it to disconnect a participant from the video call.
Not sure where to start your research?
Feel free to reach out to a RingCentral expert! We’d be happy to answer any questions you have and guide you
towards the best video call solution for your business.