Parents' Guide to

Marco Polo - Video Chat

By Chris Morris, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Video messaging more fun and personal than text.

App iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android Free Social Networking
Marco Polo - Video Chat Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Marcopolo app screenshot 1
  • Marcopolo app screenshot 2
  • Marcopolo app screenshot 3
  • Marcopolo app screenshot 4
  • Marcopolo app screenshot 5

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 27 parent reviews

Piet Rive
Piet Rive Adult
April 16, 2020
age 18+

Privacy THREAT

This is your potential privacy nightmare. NO END-TO-END Encryption. Please be wise and stay with Signal Messenger, it has all the same functionality and is secure end to end encrypted and NOT spamming your contacts like Marco Polo, Signal only sends an invite upon your own request. Marco Polo App is non of this... stay away from this app, for your own sake. (besides Signal, there is of course WhatsApp which is also "end to end encrypted", but we all know this is owned by Facebook, and they steal your contact details too). It is also not compliant with the EU-GDPR, there is no way to contact them and have your chats removed from their server when you lose your phone number (prepaid for example). Nowhere is said how long your chats and (intimate) video conversations are stored on THEIR servers, and no way of telling how well all your UNENCRYPTED messages are protected against a data leak. Stay away from this app...!!
1 person found this helpful.
MontanaGal
MontanaGal Adult
January 3, 2020
age 18+

Wow that’s scary

Well we’ve been on this app for a while now and our friends ask why we keep sending invites to join Marco Polo. Well we never sent them so beware. Next thing someone added themselves to our family group from India. Nope we know no one from there. This is a family chat only. So is he a sex Predator or someone trying to hack into our group. We have nieces and nephews on the group under a certain age. This is really scary. I’m warning you they have your information. It seems innocent but it’s not. Warning to you parents with young kids
1 person found this helpful.
See all 27 parent reviews

What’s It About?

Users of MARCO POLO - VIDEO CHAT can stay in touch with friends (and anyone else on their contact lists), exchanging video messages in real time or when it's convenient. For example, one user can send a video message, and the recipient can respond when it works for them, continuing the conversation. In contrast to FaceTime or Skype, where users have to be present at the same time, this app lets users have a video conversation on a delay. To spice things up, you can add filters to the videos and add text messages and doodle on-screen. Users can also easily create groups for group video chats.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (27):
Kids say (5):

Creating group video chats across platforms can be tricky, but this app makes it easier. Teens can create video chat with individuals or leave video messages for friends to view later. The notable advantage with Marco Polo - Video Chat is the ability to watch videos from your contacts at your leisure, which can help people on different schedules connect more easily. And the conversation is archived, so you can go back and rewatch it whenever you'd like without searching for a video on your device. Parents will want to ensure they know everyone in their child's contact list and talk about limits around how many messages are OK to send and when to send them.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what's appropriate to share using Marco Polo - Video Chat -- even with friends. What's fun and interesting to send?

  • Talk about the advantages of in-person communication versus text and video clips. Though the app allows people to see body language and hear tone of voice, how is sharing through video different from a real-life conversation?

  • Discuss using this type of app in balance with other forms of communication and other activities. What are your family's limits on device use?

App Details

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