Telegram gets updated: secure group video calls arrive

The messaging app gets updated and offers new features for Android, iOS and macOs. By the end of 2020, secure group video calls will also arrive

Millions of users around the world may be homebound, the old apps may be a bit tired, or there may be a need to experiment, but Telegram has had a boom in downloads in the last few years.

The messaging app was launched in 2013 and has evolved exponentially over the years, gaining subscribers from all over the world. Today, it has more than 400million monthly users and about 1.5million new signups per day. Besides, it is the most downloaded application in over 20 countries around the world. This success is due to its evolution: the team of developers has worked hard to respond to the users' needs, managing to introduce features absent in other famous apps (such as the self-destruction of sent files). Telegram has recently announced that by 2020 it will integrate a new feature: secure group video calls.

Telegram: why is it lagging behind with video calls?

Security is definitely a nail in Telegram's coffin. The app has many features designed to protect messages from prying eyes: there is both end-to-end encryption designed for any external intrusions, and more user-specific features: secret chats, self-destructing files, access passwords and so on. In short, we're talking about an app that since its launch has elected the protection of privacy as its main feature.

And then, even group video calls will be protected, not surprisingly, the blog speaks precisely of "secure group video calls". But to offer the public an effective and impregnable function requires time and study.

Durov in the company blog did not provide further details on the release, but took the opportunity to launch a not so veiled dig at the competition: "There are already many secure or functional apps, but none yet guarantees both things." Is he referring to apps like WhatsApp or Messenger but also to Zoom and Houseparty? They are very functional apps and full of opportunities, but they can be unsafe in the eyes of the most demanding. For example, Zoom, one of the most popular conference call apps in the world, has recently been criticized for security flaws.

Telegram for distance learning

While waiting for video calls, users can enjoy some new features. First of all, Quizzes have been improved: now you can add explanations that appear after the user has answered one of the questions. These descriptions can also be used for educational purposes, training or otherwise to disseminate their knowledge.

Quizzes can be made with @QuizBot and be enriched with a timer that shows the time left to answer. It could be an original and interesting solution for the many students and professors who in this period are forced to teach at a distance. The news for teachers and students doesn't end there: the app has created a list of tests that can help schools continue their activities from home.

Telegram: other solutions for iOS and Android

Sticker fans will be happy: the app has introduced new ones for both iOS and Android. Today there are over 20 thousand free stickers that users can use to enrich chats. Now you can also throw animated darts to hit the target (?). This has become an interactive emoji that allows users to play hit, in this case confetti appears on the phone screen.

There are some improvements for macOS as well: users can access shared media directly from their profile page which has been redesigned. In addition, there is a sidebar with icons and a new editor that allows you to draw on photos.

If, on the other hand, you use Telegram on Android, you will notice that the attachments menu has new animated icons and expandable layers that improve aesthetics and usability.

To see and use all these new features, you need to update Telegram to Version 6.1.