For many, many years now, Nokia phones have been your perfect companion when it comes to connecting you with your friends and family, whether it be with phone calls or through SMS. Then there’s the video calling option, too, which has been an option on your Nokia smartphone since 2004.

Let’s take a look at how to make a video call and what else you can do during that call, too.

In 2004, Nokia released a phone capable of something truly innovative. The Nokia 6630 became Nokia’s first video calling mobile phone, and while at this point in Nokia’s history the video calling was only achieved through the main camera at the back, it was the Nokia 6680 that launched in 2005 that made video calling more user-friendly. Almost every Nokia smartphone that succeeded allowed for video calling through the front camera.

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If you’ve got a Nokia smartphone with a camera on the front then you’ll almost certainly be able to make a video call to virtually anybody, using 3G. And it’s always been this way with Nokia.

In order to make a video call you’ll need to be in an area that has 3G coverage, which accounts for over 90 per cent of the UK and the other person has to be in a 3G area, too. So chances are, you’ll be able to do it anywhere at anytime. Using 3G to make your video call enables you to make that call anywhere, not just indoors where you can find a WiFi access point. More on 3G coverage maps at the end of the post.

So how do you go about making a video call using a Nokia smartphone? We’re using a Nokia N8 to demonstrate, but the instructions are almost identical to other Nokia smartphones, too.

Open up your contacts list from within your phone and find the person you wish to make a video call too and press on their phone contact card. This will open up the calling options available and it’s at the bottom of the page that you’ll see the option to Video call. Selecting this will proceed with the video call.

If you are the receiver of this video call, you’ll be asked whether you want to allow the video image to be sent to caller. This makes it absolutely clear you’re receiving a video call and not a normal call, so you won’t get caught out and be broadcasting your face without knowing it. You’ll have to press yes if you want the other person to see you, which is kind of the point of video calling.

You’ll see the other person’s face at the top of the screen and your own video stream towards the bottom with a variety of options. At any point you can terminate the video transmission by hitting the on-screen camera button or mute your audio by pressing the mic icon. There’s also the ability to turn off the loudspeaker and route the audio through the speaker, should you want to.

Using the video calling option opens up other possibilities, too. While on a call, if you select the options menu you can swap your image from the bottom to the top, take a snapshot of yourself to use as the calling image for a while or even share images from your gallery if you want to show somebody an amazing photo of that thing you took the other day. You can even switch to the main camera on the back, too, if you wish.

Making a video call is really great way of connecting with the people who you’re close to and is especially great if you’re away from your family for extended periods of time. To find out if you’re in a 3G area, here are a bunch of links that will show you various 3G coverage maps in the UK and the USA:

UK

• Three
• Vodafone
• Orange
• O2
• T-Mobile

USA

• AT&T
• Verizon Wireless
• Sprint
• T-Mobile

Have you made a video call on your Nokia phone lately? Why not give it a try and let us know how you get on.