Teen-friendly app Houseparty comes from an unlikely developer

Meerkat may have helped ignite the livestreaming craze but its creators' latest app is taking a different approach to video.

Instead, the newly-launched Houseparty, out now on Android and iOS, is a Snapchat-like app for group video calls. 

The idea, the company says, is to capture some of the spirit of Meerkat but in a more personal way that encourages users to participate. Unlike Meerkat, which was all about public broadcasts, Houseparty's video calls are for small groups of friends.

You can add friends based on the phone numbers you have stored in your contacts or search for their usernames. Once you open the app, you can join "rooms" (the apps' name for chats) with other friends who are currently in the app.   Read more...