How to video call on a smart display

Did you know you can make video calls on your smart display? Well the great news is it's free and easy to do it. 

As well as being able to quickly call up someone by asking the smart display to call them, you’ll also be able to see the person you’re talking to, making the experience more engaging.

What’s more, making a video call is free, as it’s done over the internet, so if you want to cut down your phone bill, using your smart display is a great option.

Getting started with your smart display 

To make a video call on a smart display, you’ll need to ensure that it supports video calling and is connected to the internet.

The exact process may vary depending on the brand and model of the smart display, but typically, you can use voice commands or touch-screen controls to initiate a video call.

It’s worth noting that both you and the recipient should have compatible devices or apps that support video calling for a successful connection.

For example, if you’re using an Amazon Echo Show, you can call someone who has a compatible Echo device, or the Alexa app installed on their phone or tablet. If you have an Echo Show or a Google Nest, follow our step-by-step guide below.

For all other smart displays, refer to the user manual to learn more about the video calling features and setup process.

How to video call on an Amazon Echo Show

One of the first things to ask your Echo Show is to video call a loved one. And it really is as simple as that – once you’ve done a couple of things.

First up, you need to make sure that your phone contacts are synced with the Alexa app. To do this:

• Open the Alexa app on your phone or tablet. 
• Choose Communicate.
• Select the contacts icon on the top right-hand corner of the screen. 
• Select Add New. 
• Enter a name and phone number, and then select Save.

Making the call

When you want to video call one of your contacts, simply say: “Alexa, video call [their name]”.

Make sure you call them the name you have saved in your contacts. If the name isn’t too different, though, Alexa will double check with you when calling, for example, Russell and Russ.

You can also make a video call via the app, which is handy if you’re not near your Echo Show. To do this:

• Open the Alexa app on your phone or tablet. 
• Tap the Communication tab. 
• Find the contact you want to call and tap their name. 
• Choose the Video Call button.

Other ways to make a video call on an Echo Show

Asking Alexa is the easiest way but if you want to make a call to someone who doesn’t have the app or isn’t in your contacts, there are ways to do it using third party skills.

You can use both Skype and Zoom to make calls via your Echo Show. You’ll need to be logged into the video calling software of your choice to make this work.

You can also use the Echo Show’s drop-in feature to video call someone with another Echo Show device. It’s simply a case of saying, “Alexa, drop in on…”, and using the name of the device, not the person you’re calling.

This will work automatically if the devices are all signed up to the same Amazon account. If it doesn’t, you may have to go into each device within the app and toggle on Allow Drop In.

To drop in on a contact with a different Amazon account, both you and your contact must first grant each other Drop In permissions. You can do this via the Contacts section in the Alexa app.

How to video call on a Google Nest Hub

To make a video call, you need to connect your Nest Hub to the Google Meet app (formerly Google Duo). To do this:

• Open the Google Home app. 
• Tap on the Settings icon. 
• Scroll down to Communication, under Services. 
• Tap on Video & Voice Apps. 
• Tap on Google Meet and follow the setup steps. 

Once you’ve followed these steps, you can then just say: “Hey Google, video call [their name].”

If you’re using the 2nd generation Nest Hub you’ll be able to see the person you’re calling, but they won’t be able to see you, as there’s no camera on that smart display. To ensure a two-way video call, you’ll have to buy a Nest Hub Max (Google Store, £219).

You can also use this method to call a group of people. First up, create your group in the Google Meet app. Then when you make the call, say, “Hey Google, start a group call”, and tap the correct group on the screen to begin your video call.

Other ways to make a video call on a Nest Hub

As with the Echo Show, you can also use Zoom to do a video call on a Nest Hub. Follow the above steps and tap on Zoom under Video & Voice Apps to set it up on your smart display.

To make a call you can either say, “Hey Google, start a Zoom call”, or join via your Google Calendar. To do this, make sure you’ve linked the right calendar to your Google smart display. You can do this on the Google Home app.

Go to more settings, choose Calendar and click on the one you want to use. Once you’ve got the calendar sorted, you can simply say, “Hey Google, join my next meeting”, and this will automatically take you to your Zoom call.