Telegram releases first version of video calling

Telegram has released its highly anticipated video calling functionality. It is still an early version where only a video call can be held between two people; group conversations will come later.

The video calling option is available for Android and iOS and is coming to users as an update. According to Telegram, the functionality is still in the alpha stage and therefore features are missing. Users can initiate a video call from a contact’s profile page, and video can be turned on or off if desired during the call. There is also support for picture-in-picture, which allows for multitasking. Furthermore, the same encryption is used that is also used for audio and chat conversations.

For the time being it is not possible to make video calls with more than one person; group conversations will be added at a later stage. That should happen sometime in the coming months, but there is no precise release date.

Last week, a beta of the Android version of Telegram that included video calling was already released, and the company itself already hinted that the functionality would be released soon.