What Is Marco Polo?
Marco Polo is a one-way-at-a-time video chat service. You use it on your device to record a video message to send to a friend or group of friends. The recipients can watch you live, but they can’t send their video back at the same time (like a FaceTime call). The recipient can also watch your videos at a later time. Essentially, the people in the chat take turns sending videos.
How Marco Polo Works
Marco Polo allows you to import your contacts by phone number, then add one or more people to a Polo or chat. It’s essentially a video walkie-talkie, allowing you to send messages to friends, which they can watch either while you’re recording the message or later. After watching your message, friends can then reply to you. When you download the app, you have the option to import your phone contacts or add friends one at a time using their phone numbers. The app also asks if you want to invite your contacts who aren’t on Marco Polo by sending them a text message with information on downloading the app.
Marco Polo in Real Time
When sending Polos, only one member of a group chat can record a message at a time. However, if someone is watching live while you record, they can send a handful of reaction emojis during the recording. Those reactions are limited and silent; happy faces, hearts, and a thumbs-up emoji are options. This is similar to watching someone’s Facebook or Instagram live stream and tapping the Like or heart icons. These one-way video messages are saved for you and your message group to watch again later, including the reactions.
Marco Polo Messaging
Your message recipient doesn’t have to be available to watch the moment you start sending a Marco Polo. Your message is stored in your chat for your friends to watch when they can. Plus, your messages are saved, so you can re-watch a funny story if you want to relive the fun or show someone else. You can also use Marco Polo to send a photo or type a message on the screen. However, you can’t set the amount of time the photos or messages display, and the default setting is short. If you have more than a sentence to share, you’re better off with text messaging.
More Information on Marco Polo Messaging
Marco Polo features include:
Ability to save and re-watch messages.Group or individual messaging.Emoji reactions.Text overlay.Voice filters.Forward or selfie-facing camera modes.
Marco Polo doesn’t allow you to browse for friends of friends or total strangers. To chat with someone, you must add that person to your contacts. Children under 13 aren’t permitted to create accounts. Marco Polo stores video messages and personal information you provide (such as profile photos and your phone number). If you have concerns about how it uses that information, view its privacy policy. Marco Polo is free to download and has no ads. Download for:
