Random Video Chat in the United States
The United States is a big place to chat from: five main time zones, plus Alaska and Hawaii, and a mix of home, campus and workplace networks. This guide covers the things that are specific to chatting from the US. For the basics of how a random video chat works, see random video chat with strangers.
OmeFree runs in the browser and needs no account, so you can open it on any phone or computer and start.
Time zones: what 8 pm in New York means elsewhere
Most US chat traffic follows the evening. Because the country spans several zones, your evening is someone else's afternoon or night. In winter, when it is 8 pm in New York (Eastern time):
| City | Local time |
|---|---|
| Chicago (Central) | 7 pm |
| Denver (Mountain) | 6 pm |
| Los Angeles (Pacific) | 5 pm |
| Anchorage (Alaska) | 4 pm |
| Honolulu (Hawaii) | 3 pm |
| London | 1 am (next day) |
Most of the US moves its clocks forward on the second Sunday of March and back on the first Sunday of November. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not change. The result is that the gap with Europe shrinks by an hour for a few weeks each spring and autumn, when the US and Europe change on different dates.
Campus, office and public Wi-Fi
Many college, workplace and public networks restrict video calls or peer-to-peer traffic. If a video chat will not connect on one of them, the problem is usually the network, not your device:
- Switch to your phone's mobile data or another Wi-Fi network and try again.
- Use text chat, which works on almost any connection.
- Do not install extensions or software your network administrator has not approved.
A shared or monitored network is also a reason to think before you chat on video.
If a chat turns into a scam: where to report in the US
Scams in random chats usually start friendly and then ask for money, gift cards, codes or a move to another app. Do not pay, stop replying and keep screenshots. Then report it:
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov, the Federal Trade Commission's reporting site for fraud and scams.
- IC3.gov, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, for online crime including extortion.
- StopNCII.org, if someone threatens to share intimate images of you or already has.
Questions that start a conversation with someone outside the US
- "Which part of the world are you in, and what time is it there?"
- "What is a normal weekend like where you live?"
- "What do people in your country think the US is like?"
- "What are you studying, or what do you do?"
Frequently asked questions
Does OmeFree work on a college network?
Sometimes. Campus networks often block or slow video. If it fails, try mobile data or text chat.
Which US time is the busiest?
Evenings and weekend nights, local time. Keep in mind that your evening is the early hours in Europe.
Where do I report a scam in the US?
Use ReportFraud.ftc.gov for fraud and IC3.gov for internet crime. Keep screenshots and do not pay.
Does OmeFree change with daylight saving time?
No, the site does not. What changes is who is awake and online at your usual hour.