Video Calls with up to 1000 Viewers, Video Messages 2.0, Video Playback Speed and More

This update takes video to the next level. Group video calls now have up to 1000 viewers, video messages record in higher quality and can be expanded, regular videos may be watched at 0.5 or 2x speed. We've also added screen sharing with sound to all video calls, including 1-on-1 calls — and much more.

Group Video Calls 2.0

Group video calls allow up to 30 users broadcast video from both their camera and screen – and now 1000 people can watch anything from online lectures to live rap battles.

We will keep increasing this limit until all humans on Earth can join one group call and watch us yodel in celebration (coming soon).

To start a Group Video Call, create a Voice Chat from the info page (in the ⋮ menu on Android) of any group where you are an admin – then turn your video on.

Video Messages 2.0

Video messages are a quick way to check in or share your surroundings without adding another video to your gallery. They now have higher resolution and you can tap on a video message to expand it and take in all those extra pixels.

Tapping on an expanded video message pauses it and gives you the opportunity to fast forward or rewind the message in case you missed a word.

To record a video message, tap the microphone icon in the message bar to switch from voice message recording to video. Press and hold to record, then tap the camera icon to switch back.

Audio from your device will keep playing as you record so you can now sing along to your favorite songs or reply without pausing your podcast. Additionally, recording with your rear camera lets you pinch to zoom in and capture things at a distance or add a dramatic effect (eerie music not included).

Video Playback Speed

To power through lecture videos and replay kung fu moves in slow motion, the media player now supports 0.5x, 1.5x and 2x playback speeds. Our Android developer is a fan of hummingbirds, so his app also supports 0.2x speed.

To change your video playback speed, tap ⋮ on Android or ⋯ on iOS when watching a video in fullscreen.

On Android, you can also press and hold the 2X button when playing voice or video messages to switch between 0.5x, 1x, 1.5x and 2x playback speed.

Timestamp Links

Since 2019, putting a timestamp like 0:30 in the captions or replies to videos and YouTube links lets users jump to that exact second – and you can now press and hold on a timestamp in a message to copy the link and share the moment in another chat.

Screen Sharing With Sound

Screen sharing has been added to 1-on-1 calls as well, and now includes the sound from your device when broadcasting in any video call. So make sure you quit Super Mario before its your turn to present — or don't, and use the game for sound effects.

When switching on video during any call, you can swipe to choose a camera or share your screen instead — and use the video preview to make sure that everything is perfect before going live.

To share your screen during a video call, tap the camera button and select your screen as the video source.

Auto-Delete After 1 Month

Messages in any chat can be set to erase themselves after 1 day or 1 week – and now 1 month, in case you need your chats to stick around for a full lunar cycle before disappearing.

To enable the timer on Android, tap ⋮ > Clear History then choose a duration. On iOS, press and hold a message, tap Select > Clear Chat (top-left) > Enable Auto-Delete.

Precision Drawing

The media editor allows you to illustrate and decorate your photos and videos with drawings, text and stickers. To more easily add fine details (or that perfect mustache and pointy ears), the width of your brush now decreases as you zoom in – giving you the precision of a professional.

To change the width of your brush at any time, drag the dot up from the color selector.

The Telegram Desktop app now has its own photo editor to crop, rotate or flip images – and add drawings or stickers. Unique to desktop, your edited versions can be sent as uncompressed files by unchecking the Compress Images box.

Passcode Animations

New animations make the passcode lock interfaces even snappier than before. If you're using an animated background, it will also appear on the passcode lock screen. The disco never stops.

Password Recovery and Reminders

We've added a new prompt in Settings to help you practice entering your Two-Step Verification password.

If you forgot your password, there is a new password reset option that works even if you don’t have a recovery email — as long as you're still logged into your account. The process will take 7 days and can be cancelled from any of your devices.

Message Sending Animations on Android

Like emoji and stickers, text messages have new lightweight animations – when you hit Send, your text smoothly transforms into the message bubble as it flies into the chat. iOS users received these energy-efficient animations in the previous update.

New In-App Camera on iOS

The in-app camera now utilizes all zoom levels on your device – including 0.5x and 2x if available. You can also press and hold to open a zoom wheel that lets you zoom in and out with granular control.

To use the in-app camera, tap the icon in the message bar and then tap the camera feed in the attachment menu.

More for iOS

Choose multiple recipients for forwarded messages by tapping 'Select' in the forwarding menu to share your best memes with all your best friends.

Scrolling with two fingers in the chat list quickly selects several chats for bulk actions like archive, delete or mark all as read.

Profile pictures now follow the messages as you scroll in group chats so you always know who sent each one, even in long chains of one. word. after. another.

New Animated Emoji

No Telegram update is complete without new animated emoji. As always, simply send a message with a single emoji to get one of these in a chat:

And that's all for today's update – we're working on the next one at 2X speed.

July 30, 2021
The Telegram Team