After several years operating as a secure text messaging and voice-only calling app, Telegram has finally added video calling to its roster. This feature is now available to both iOS and Android users, albeit in its alpha stage.

Telegram Rolls Out Secure Video Calling

In a Telegram Blog post, the Telegram team explains that all video calls are secured with end-to-end encryption. This ensures that your video calls are private.

You can check if your call is secure by matching the four emojis that Telegram displays for you and your conversation partner. If the emojis match, your call is protected.

Telegram also notes that you can take extra steps to verify that your app is using encryption:

Our apps for Android and iOS have reproducible builds, so anyone can verify encryption and confirm that their app uses the exact same open-source code that we publish with each update.

And because the video calling feature comes with picture-in-picture mode, you can talk on camera, as well as read and reply to messages at the same time. You can only engage in one-on-one video calls right now, but Telegram plans on adding group video calls in the future.

How to Make a Video Call on Telegram

It’s easy to make a video call on Telegram. To get started, open Telegram, and tap on your contact’s photo to access their profile.

If your contact has Telegram’s 7.0 update installed, you should see a video icon on the person’s profile. Select that icon to start a video call.

Alternatively, you can also start a video call by going to one of your chats, hitting the three dots in the top-right corner of the screen, and tapping Video Call.

During your conversation, you can quickly switch between voice and video, flip your camera, and mute the call.

Telegram Hops on the Video Calling Bandwagon

Now that Telegram has added video calling to its arsenal of fantastic features, conversations on the app can become even more engaging.

And if you want to get even more out of Telegram, try these useful Telegram features you should be using.

Read the full article: Telegram Launches One-on-One Encrypted Video Calls