Telegram Finally Launches Group Video Call Feature A Year After Announcement

Telegram has finally launched its group video call feature, a year after the encrypted messaging app announced its plan to bring the group call to the next level.

The company made the announcement on its newest blog one year after it revealed its plan to allow group call participants to open their cameras during a group call, Gizmodo reported.

The blog post specified that the video call feature will only allow a maximum of 30 video call participants as of the moment. Telegram plans to lift the limit in the future.

The group video call feature will come with a pin-a-video function. This allows the call participants to focus on one person regardless of the number of participants.

They may show others the things they are working on their devices through the share screen function. People joining the call may also share their camera feed during the conversation.

To activate the function during a voice group call, the participants have to simply tap the camera icon. To pin a specific participant, tap on the person’s video and it will go and stay on full screen regardless of the number of people joining.

Furthermore, Telegram introduced a feature that will specifically suppress the munching noise during special cases such as virtual dinners. Users can turn the noise suppression feature on so that the bite sound, especially when eating crunchy food, does not distract the other call participants.

Animated backgrounds that move every time a user sends a message are now available as well. Users may choose their background from the newly added gradient wallpapers. They may also opt to create their own background design that they can share with their friends. Telegram has also added a menu button especially dedicated to communicate and send instructions to bots.

The latest Telegram blog said that the group video calling feature brings the voice chats to a whole new level making it more suitable for current uses such as online classes, family gatherings and even business meetings. The new feature is available across all Telegram devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops.

The number of Telegram users had increased manifold after Elon Musk posted a tweet asking his followers to stop using the Facebook-owned WhatsApp due to privacy policy issues, CNET reported.