Telegram has finally added group video calls feature to its messaging platform. Besides this, the messaging chat app has introduced a ton of significant updates to take on its rival WhatsApp. Here are all the details.
Telegram adds group video calls, animated background, and more
As noted by GSMArena, the video calling feature seems to be inspired by Apple’s FaceTime changes that were announced in WWDC 2021. While audio calls will support an unlimited number of users, Telegram says that the group video calls will be limited to the first 30 people who can join a voice call. The company, however, plans to increase the limit ‘soon.’ Similar to Microsoft Teams, users will be able to share their screens while on a video chat.
How to start a group video call on Telegram
To initiate a group video call on Telegram a user will just have to tap the camera icon in a group audio call to switch their video on. Once done, the user can pin the group members they want to start the video chat to see their video on front. Telegram has provided the option to share the screen as well. On smartphones and tablets, the entire display is shared by default. However, for those using the feature on a desktop will have a choice of whether to share the entire screen or a particular window. Desktop users will get members automatically pinned when they share the screen. While the video calls feature will appear on the large split-screen view of the video grip on a tablet or a smartphone, on desktop users will have a separate window, which means they can work on other tasks without minimizing the video call.
In addition, Telegram has updated the background noise suppression feature to voice chats. There are several changes made to the UI as well including support for animated backgrounds. The background now features spinning colour patterns that animate every time you send a text. Be it iOS or Android, users on both platforms can pick from several default options or create their own animated backgrounds. Additionally, iOS users are getting more animated emoji, new app icons, bot menu to browser the list of commands, etc.
