Telegram update for iOS with video calls is now available

Telegram launches one-on-one video calls on iOS and Android

Secure messaging app Telegram has launched an alpha version of one-on-one video calls on both its Android and iOS apps, the company announced, saying 2020 had “highlighted the need for face-to-face communication

In a blog post marking its seventh anniversary, Telegram described the process for starting a video call: Tap the profile page of the person you want to call. Users can turn on or off the video at any time during the call, and video calls support picture-in-picture mode, so users can continue scrolling through the app if this call becomes boring. The video calls will include end-to-end encryption, as Telegram's blog posts states, and it's one of the app's specific features for its voice calls and text messages

“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,” according to the post

In April, Telegram announced it would launch group video calls later this year. This isn’t quite that, but in the most recent blog post, the company indicated that “video calls will receive more features and improvements in future versions, as we work toward launching group video calls in the coming months

Telegram said in April it had reached 400 million monthly active users