Secure communications app Telegram just added video calling to its feature set, and it’s end-to-end encryption, hitting Zoom.
Secure communication app Telegram has just added video calls to its feature set, and it’s end-to-end … [+]
Since coronavirus lockons began to take place all over the world, secure video calling has been in great demand. As an alternative to Zoom, many people use end-to-end encrypted apps like WhatsApp, FaceTime or Signal to talk face-to-face with friends and family.
Now there’s another option – secure communications app Telegram has just added video calling to its feature set, available on both iOS and Android. The new feature is also super secure – like Signal and WhatsApp and unlike Zoom (yet), video calls will be encrypted end-to-end.
It’s just one-on-one at the moment, but group calls will come through “in the coming months,” Telegram said in a blog post.
Using the Telegram video calling feature
Telegram lets you start a video chat from your contact’s profile page, and turn video on or off at any time during voice calls. Video calls support picture-in-picture mode, allowing you to chat through conversations and multitasking while “maintaining eye contact,” Telegram said.
A recent report from Android Police released a beta version of the video calling feature on an Android device.
Android Police describes the feature of voice calls, and says the beta version “offers options” to flip between front and rear cams, turn off video, mute and hang up. Tap on the window at the bottom right to switch between the two participants. ”
Telegram: A decent WhatsApp / Zoom alternative?
Telegram is growing in popularity, and today has around 400 million users. But so far, as Forbes’ Zak Doffman points out in his excellent article on WhatsApp alternatives, the big downside of Telegram so far has been that it is not standard end-to-end encryption – although it is also a “secret” person -new-person has chat option that is end-to-end encrypted but limited to one device on each side.
As a secure option, Telegram’s new feature beats Zoom, which is not yet end – to – end encrypted, and is similar to Signal, which only offers one-on-one video calling. Sure, it’s not as feature rich as WhatsApp – allowing you to have eight people on a video call, expanding to 50 if you’ve happily transferred to Facebook’s Messenger Rooms – but it’s certainly an alternative if the Facebook brand is not for you. Even more than Telegram added the option for group chat.
For ultimate security and end-to-end encryption standard is my personal favorite Signal. But Telegram’s new video feature is worth a try, especially if that group chat option drops.
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