Telegram is adding group video calling

With the latest version of Telegram's iOS, Android and desktop apps, encrypted messaging app Telegram users can turn their group voice chats into video conference calls.

Users have the option to pin someone's video feed to the screen so that they stay front and center even as new participants join the call.

Unsurprisingly, users can share your screen if they need to put on a presentation or want to show something off. Users have the option to share both their camera feed and screen at the same time, Engadget reported.

With this release, group video calls are limited to the first 30 people who join a voice chat, but that's a number Telegram said will increase "soon" as it expands voice chats to support live events and other new features.

Users can take part in group video calls on the phone, as well as on tablets and computers.

Earlier, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov made the announcement via a message posted to his official Telegram channel where he wrote "we will be adding a video dimension to our voice chats in May, making Telegram a powerful platform for group video calls".

In an April 2020 blog post, to mark passing 400 million users, it wrote that the global lockdown had "highlighted the need for a trusted video communication tool" -- going on to dub video calls in 2020 "much like messaging in 2013".

However, it also emphasized the importance of security for group video calling -- and that's perhaps what's caused the delay.

The company said it reached 400 million monthly active users in April 2020, up from 200 million in 2018.