Telegram gets a major feature update
First up, we have what Telegram calls Group Video Calls 2.0. It now allows up to 1,000 viewers and 30 video feeds on group video calls. Those 30 users can broadcast video from both their camera and screen, meaning it’s useful for live streaming concerts as well as college lectures with notes. The company says it will continue to expand that limit further, “until all humans on Earth can join one group call.” Unfortunately, we still can’t add more people to an ongoing one-on-one video call and make it a group call. There’s no one-tap video call button for groups either. So if you want to make a group video call, you’ll have to first create a group of all the persons you want to make the call with. Now go into the info page of the group and start a voice chat. Then only you can turn on video. Seriously Telegram devs, you couldn’t make it any simpler? Nonetheless, we next have Video Messages 2.0 that brings higher resolution support for video messages. You can now also expand video messages to get a clearer view. Telegram further lets you pause, rewind, or fast-forward video messages, record audio from your device as well as the surrounding, and zoom in when recording with the rear camera.
The latest Telegram update brings multiple playback speed options as well. It now supports 0.5x, normal, 1.5x, and 2x playback speeds. The options are available from the ellipsis button (three vertical dots in the top-right corner). You can also press and hold the playback speed indicator when playing voice or video messages to switch between different speeds.
Timestamp links, screen sharing in one-on-one video calls, and more
If you’ve been using Telegram, you know the app adds timestamps to videos and YouTube links if you put a caption like 0:30 or reply with something similar. With the latest update, long-pressing on the timestamp generates a shareable link as well. Next up, Telegram is adding screen sharing ability to one-on-one video calls. You can also include the sound from your device while sharing your screen. Thankfully, the process is a lot simpler than group video calls. All you have to do is tap the camera button and select your screen as the video source. The video preview option will let you check if everything is alright before going live. The auto-delete feature is getting a new one-month option. Earlier, you could choose to automatically delete all the messages in a conversation after a day or week. You can now let them stay for one month before they disappear. The option is available from the ellipsis button, under the “Clear history” menu. Telegram now automatically decreases the width of your brush when you zoom in on a picture in the media editor. This will let you add fine details like a mustache or a tattoo to your photos and videos. You can manually select the brush width as well.
Additionally, the Telegram desktop app is also getting its own photo editor. It lets you crop, rotate, or flip images, as well as add drawings or stickers over them. You can choose to send the edited images as both compressed and uncompressed files. Telegram now lets you practice your Two-Step Verification password so you don’t forget it. And if you’ve forgotten your password and you don’t have a recovery email, a new password reset option is there for you. You need to be logged into your account though. It might also take over a week to recover your password through this process. Security reasons, you know! You can cancel password recovery from any of your devices during this period.
Minor visual refresh with newer animations
Telegram is introducing a minor visual refresh to its app with newer animations for certain features. The passcode lock interfaces now feel snappier thanks to new animations. Your chat background also appears on the passcode lock screen to add to the fun. Message bubbles are getting some animation tweaks as well. For iOS users, Telegram 7.9.0 brings a new in-app camera that lets you use all the zoom levels of your device. A zoom wheel will appear if you press and hold the screen. You can now forward messages to multiple people at the same time. Profile pictures also now follow the message when you scroll through a group chat. If you scroll with two fingers in the chat list, you’ll be able to select multiple chats for bulk actions. Last but not least, there are some new animated emojis as well.
Telegram version 7.9.0 rolled out in beta recently. It is now available publicly in the Google Play Store. If you’re a Telegram user, click the link below to update the app to the latest version. It could take a few days for the new version to be available globally. So check back later if you aren’t seeing a new update for the app in the Play Store. DOWNLOAD TELEGRAM
