Houseparty Safety Settings

Houseparty is a “face-to-face social network”, and an app which has witnessed a huge increase in users primarily because of its very simple to use and of the ability to host group video chat. You can also play games on the platform a key feature that became very appealing to many during lockdown. The app is in use since 2016 and in 2019 was bought by Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite. Users can now connect to other Fortnite users through the inbuild Fortnite feature.

 

The danger here relates to the ease at which an online predator can encourage engagement away from the restrictive in game communication settings, to a platform whereby images, video, and live streaming for face-to-face contact is possible.

 

Restrictions Available

• Online Chat Restrictions
• Online Privacy
• Restrict Access
• Restrict Data Sharing
• Sharing Location

 

How to lock a room on Houseparty

• Open the Houseparty App
• Select the lock icon in the middle of the bottom of the screen
• Once activated only invited participants will be able to access the room
• To unlock the room simply select the Lock icon again

 

 

How to secure the user’s location setting on Houseparty

• Open the Houseparty app
• In the top left corner of the screen select the Face Icon which open the Friends Menu
• From the screen that opens select the Cog icon at the top left corner to open settings
• Then select the Permissions option
• At the bottom of the Permissions menu is the option to Enable Location or Disable Location. If left Enabled others will be able to make contact based on the location of the device

 

How to enable Private Mode of Houseparty

• Open the Houseparty app
• In the top left corner of the screen select the Face Icon which open the Friends Menu
• From the screen that opens select the Cog icon at the top left corner to open Settings
• Select the Private Mode
• Select Enable Private Mode. Under Private Mode every room the user goes into will be locked by default

 

 

Managing friend notifications, reporting, and blocking others on Houseparty

• Open the Houseparty app
• In the top left corner of the screen select the Face Icon which open the Friends Menu
• A list of friends will appear, choose the Profile you wish to manage and select the three dots
• Four options now become available
  • Ghosting
  • In the House
  • Unfriend
  • Report or Block

 

 

How to disconnect Social Media Apps linked to Houseparty

Houseparty encourages users to connect to their contacts on other Social Media Platforms. This should be restricted to prevent unwanted contacts.

• Open the Houseparty app
• In the top left corner of the screen select the Face Icon which open the Friends Menu
• From the screen that opens select the Cog icon at the top left corner to open Settings
• Select the Permissions option
• Toggle as required on the screen that opens up
• To disable the feature, deselect i.e., Connect Facebook

 

 

How to Connect a Fortnite Account

This feature can result in unwanted direct contact with children and teens. It is essential for parents to be aware of this feature and what connections and notifications available

• Open the Houseparty app
• In the top left corner of the screen select the Face Icon which open the Friends Menu
• From the screen that opens select the Cog icon at the top left corner to open Settings
• Select Fortnite Mode Options
• On the screen that opens there are several options
  • Connect Fortnite –             Connects to the Epic Games Fortnite Account
  • Start Automatically –          Activates the Houseparty app and connects with connected friends once the game opens
• Other options can be seen in the image above.

 

Don’t forget to check out our other helpful Safety Settings