Telegram will support video calling and group screen sharing

Telegram has received support for video calling with more than two participants. The makers of the messenger service also report that screen sharing is also possible in groups. This applies to phones, but also tablets and the desktop app.

Demo videos of the features in the blog post

In addition reports on Telegram.org that it is possible to pin a single video feed so that it remains at the top for all incoming participants of the group conversation. Presumably this option is only for the ‘admin’ of a group video call. Screen sharing can also be combined with the feed from the camera, allowing someone to present and give the whole set of features also intended for professional applications.

Telegram also reports that the background noise suppression has been improved and that it can now also be turned off, in case that sound is desirable. In addition, when it comes to the layout of the video group call, desktops and tablets will also have additional options to utilize their extra screen real estate.

In a separate blog post tells Telegram that it has also added a few things aesthetically. Backgrounds can now be animated and chats have more animations in terms of chat bubbles.

As one of the latest new features, Telegram reports that bots in the app can now have a menu, where the possible commands can be easily selected. Also, the placeholder in the text input window can be changed to give the user a suggestion.

Telegram has experienced strong growth since the announcement of WhatsApp’s new terms of use. The app is said to now have 500 million users. It has also raised a billion dollars from investors for further growth. The app can use encryption just like competitors, but this must be enabled per chat.