JusTalk - Video Chat & Calls

Review by eFreeware

Keeping in touch with the people who matter usually means juggling several apps: one for calls, another for group chat, something else for photos. Each has its own account, its own notification habits, and its own idea of what a conversation should look like. JusTalk takes the opposite approach, putting calls, messaging and a set of shared activities into a single free app.

It is published by a developer of the same name and has been around since early 2014, which puts it among the longer-running options in this category. The install numbers back that up: more than 10 million downloads and a 4.6 average across 325,852 ratings. Those figures say the app has found a durable audience, though they tell you nothing about whether its particular mix of features matches how you and your contacts actually talk.

Who tends to get the most from it

The developer frames JusTalk around three groups: individuals, families and professionals. In practice, the family angle is the one the app leans into hardest.

If your calls are mostly one-to-one and short, the app will do the job, but you would be ignoring a lot of what makes it distinctive. The features that stand out are the ones built for groups: games you play while a call is running, polls for settling plans, and doodling that appears on every screen at once. Those need at least one other willing participant to be worth anything.

Small groups also benefit from the way conversations are organized. Polls collect opinions without a long back-and-forth, and the reply and reaction tools keep threads readable when several people are typing at once. Anyone whose main contact is a single person may find the app more elaborate than the relationship requires.

Calls, recording and walkie talkie mode

The core of the app is voice and video calling. The developer describes ultra-high-definition quality and low-latency channels, and that combination is what most people will judge the app on. Calls can be recorded with a single tap while they are still running, and the recorded files are said to keep their original quality. That is a genuinely useful capability for anyone who wants to keep a family conversation or a work discussion without reaching for separate recording software.

Walkie talkie mode works differently from a normal call. Instead of opening a full conversation, you tap and talk, sending short voice messages that play automatically. Floating windows and quick contact switching are part of that mode, which suggests it is meant for brief exchanges rather than long conversations. It sits somewhere between a voice message and a phone call, and it is the kind of thing that either fits your habits or does not.

Video calls get their own layer of options. Backgrounds, filters and appearance effects let you blur or replace what is behind you, or add face effects such as glasses, hats and animal ears. You can save a preferred effect so it comes back on later calls. None of this changes call quality, but it does change the tone of a call, which matters more than it sounds when the people on the other end are children or relatives you do not see often.

Messaging, stickers and shared moments

Text chat covers the usual ground: messages, images, videos, voice notes, emojis, GIFs, stickers, doodles and file sharing. Reply and reaction tools let you answer a specific message in a one-to-one or group thread, which keeps busy group chats from turning into a wall of untagged responses.

Stickers get more attention than in most messaging apps. There is a store with ready-made packs, and you can add your own custom stickers, which is a small feature with an outsized effect on how personal a family chat feels. Moments works as a feed where you post text, images and videos for friends and family, giving the app a lightweight social layer on top of its messaging core.

Real-time location sharing is available for close friends, letting them see where you are. The developer presents it as a way to feel more connected and to take part in each other's daily routines. It is the sort of feature that works well in a trusted circle and deserves a conversation about expectations before you switch it on.

Games, polls and drawing together

The interactive layer is what separates JusTalk from a straightforward calling app. Built-in games can be played during a voice or video call, in one-to-one conversations as well as group ones. A recent update improved how those in-call games perform, so the developer is still investing in this side of the app rather than leaving it as a novelty.

Group polls handle the practical side of getting people to agree. They are useful when a group needs to pick a time, settle on a plan or make a decision, and they keep the discussion in one place instead of scattering it across messages. Polls were recently extended to one-to-one chats as well, which means the same tool now works for two people trying to decide something.

Collaborative doodling rounds out the set. Everyone on the call draws on the screen, and each stroke shows up on the other screens as it happens. It is a simple idea, and it gives a call with children a shared activity that does not require anyone to leave the app or explain the rules.

What it costs and what comes with it

JusTalk is free to download and use. The app carries advertising and offers in-app purchases. Those terms apply to everyone you invite, so they are worth weighing before you move a group of people onto a new platform.

The sensible approach is to try it with one or two contacts first, see how the free experience feels, and only then suggest it to a wider group.

The app has been updated recently, with polls in one-to-one chats and improvements to the in-call games among the changes. For a service that has been available since 2014, that pattern suggests it is still being developed rather than left to sit.

How it compares with the alternatives

Most people already have a default messaging app on their phone, and it will handle calls and texts perfectly well. The reason to consider JusTalk is the extras: recording calls with a tap, playing games mid-call, running polls, drawing on each other's screens. A general-purpose messenger is unlikely to offer that combination, and a dedicated video calling service usually focuses on call quality rather than shared activities.

The comparison that matters most is with the app your contacts already use. JusTalk only works if the people you want to reach install it too, and that is true of every app in this category. The features here are aimed at groups who want to do more than talk, so the question is whether your family or friend group would use them.

There is also the family angle to consider. The companion app for children gives parents and kids a shared space, which is a different proposition from a standard messenger that assumes every user is an adult managing their own contacts. If your household includes younger children, that pairing is the strongest argument for the app.

A good fit for groups that want more than a phone call

JusTalk is at its best when a call is treated as something to do together rather than a channel for talking. Games during calls, polls that settle plans, doodling that appears on every screen, a walkie talkie mode for quick check-ins, and a sticker system you can personalize all point in the same direction. Families spread across different places, and small groups who talk regularly, are the people most likely to use these features rather than forget they exist.

The practical case is straightforward: it is free, it covers calls and messaging thoroughly, and it adds a layer of shared activity that most rivals do not attempt. Call recording with one tap is a real convenience, and the video effects make calls with younger relatives easier to enjoy.

The reservations are equally straightforward. The app carries ads and in-app purchases, and it only becomes useful once the people you want to reach are on it as well. If your conversations are brief and one-to-one, the extra features will sit unused and a simpler app would serve you just as well. For a group that wants a single place to talk, plan and play, it is a reasonable choice.

What's new in version 8.15.1

- Polls are now available in 1v1 chats—ask, vote, and decide together. - Call games just got an upgrade! Enjoy a smoother and more fun gaming experience while you talk. - Fixed bugs and made general improvements for a better experience. Thank you for using JusTalk! If you have any questions, please feel free to email us: [email protected]