[ad_1]
The Telegram secure communications app just added video calling to its feature set, and it’s end-to-end encrypted, beating Zoom.
Telegram secure communications app just added video calling to its feature set, and it’s end to end … [+]
Since coronavirus lockdowns began taking place around the world, secure video calling has been in high 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 their friends and family.
Now there is another option: the Telegram secure communications app has just added video calling to its feature set, available on iOS and Android. The new feature is super secure too – like Signal and WhatsApp and unlike Zoom (again), video calls will be end-to-end encrypted.
It’s just one-to-one at the moment, but group calls are expected to be launched “in the coming months,” Telegram said in a blog post.
Using Telegram video call feature
Telegram will allow you to start a video call 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 scroll through chats and multitask while “maintaining eye contact,” Telegram said.
A recent report from Android Police showcased a beta version of the video calling feature on an Android device.
Describing the voice call feature, Android Police says the beta offers “options to switch between the front and rear cameras, mute video, mute, and hang up.” Tap the window at the bottom right to switch between the two participants. “
Telegram: a decent alternative to WhatsApp / Zoom?
Telegram is growing in popularity, now with around 400 million users. But so far, as Forbes’ Zak Doffman points out in his excellent article on WhatsApp alternatives, Telegram’s big downside so far has been that it isn’t end-to-end encrypted by default – although ‘he also has a person-to-person “secret”. Chat option that is end-to-end encrypted but limited to a single device on each side.
As a secure option, the new Telegram feature beats Zoom, which is not yet end-to-end encrypted, and it is on a par with Signal which only offers individual video calls. Of course, it’s not as feature-rich as WhatsApp – which lets you have eight people on a video call, rising to 50 if you’re happy to transfer to Facebook’s messaging rooms – but it certainly is. an alternative if the Facebook brand is not for you. Even more so when Telegram adds the group chat option.
For ultimate security and end-to-end encryption by default, my favorite is Signal. But Telegram’s new video feature is worth a try, especially when that group chat option drops.
[ad_2]
Source link