Telegram has finally introduced video calling for groups on its mobile app and desktop. The update was announced back in April last year, but just rolled out this week.
“Today’s update lets you turn on your camera or share your screen during Voice Chats in groups – on all devices, including tablets and desktops. This brings voice chats to a whole new level, ready for online classes, business meetings and family gatherings,” the Company said in its blogpost.
Telegram also added a few interface-level changes to its latest update. The Instant Messaging platform has introduced animated backgrounds, new message sending animations, and new animated emoji. The new Telegram app also includes a special menu button for bots.
Group Video Calls
Telegram says that voice chats in any group can now seamlessly turn into group video calls – just by tapping the camera icon you switch your video on. This is the most significant change the messaging app has as it allows users to convert their group audio conversations into video calls.
You can tap on any video in the group chats and make it fullscreen. Telegram added that by pinning a video new users can join the call and turn on their cameras.
Just remember that to start a voice chat, you need to check the ‘⋮‘ icon in the profile of any group where you are an admin (for iOS devices, you will find a ‘Voice Chat’ button right in the group’s profile).
Screen Sharing Feature
As part of Telegram’s update, it also provided a user with the option to share his or her screen. You can share your screen while on camera feed also, as this can be done simultaneously.
What this means is, users (both tablets and desktops) get additional support during video calls, where they can open the side panel and see a split-screen view of the video grid and list of participants. It will be optimised for both portrait and landscape orientation, Telegram added in its announcement.
For desktops users, they will also have the ability for selective screen sharing. That is, users can broadcast only an individual program while having group video calls, instead of showing the rest of the participants the entire screen. This is the same as having to share a particular screen from a desktop computer or laptop when on Zoom.
Desktop users will also have the option pin members automatically while sharing their screens. Further, voice chats will be available on desktops in a separate window to let users type and talk without leaving their other important tasks.
Finally, Telegram says an unlimited number of users can participate in an audio call, though group video calls will be limited to the first 30 people who join a voice chat. The company intends to increase that limit “soon,” it confirmed in its announcement.
