Telegram now lets you video chat on group calls
Tired of voice chatting on Telegram? Well, as part of its latest update, you can now video chat with groups of people instead — whether you're on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.
The new capability lives within the Voice Chat feature. Whenever you start a voice chat room, a camera icon will now appear. All you have to do is tap on it to enable your video.
As with other video conferencing apps, like Zoom and Google Meet, you can make a video fullscreen and also pin a specific person to the center of the call. That way, when someone joins the call, it'll stay focused on them.
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However, it's worth noting that while voice chats don't have a limit on participants, video will only be available for the first 30 people to join the call. But Telegram says this is a temporary cap, and that the limit will increase in the future.
Telegram added the ability to share your screen, too. While on video, you have the option to either switch back and forth between your camera and the content on your screen or display both simultaneously.
To accompany these new features, Telegram has also improved noise suppression in voice chats. So, if you're on a call while in a noisy environment, it'll help to keep your audio clear for everyone. With a new toggle added, you're able to turn this feature on and off manually via your Settings.
The company also included a few additional video chat features for tablets and desktops — since there's more screen space to work with.
When using either of the two devices, there's a side panel that opens up to a split-screen view. From there, you can see a grid of those on video and a list of participants on the calls.
Telegram also released a few features limited to the desktop app specifically:
Users will now have the ability to screen share selective desktop apps, like a web browser or video player (rather than broadcasting their entire screen)
Voice chats will open in a separate window
Those who share their screen will automatically be pinned on the call
The new update is currently available for download on iOS, Android, macOS, and Windows.
