Telegram gets private one-on-one video calling to take on WhatsApp, Google Duo; group video calling coming soon

Spurred by popular demand, WhatsApp-rival Telegram has introduced one-on-one video calling for Android and iOS. Telegram says this is an alpha release which means it will continue to add more features and improvements to it in future versions. But more importantly one-on-one video calling is precursor to group video calling which is also coming to Telegram sometime in the coming months.

Just like its secret chats and voice calls, one-on-one video calls on Telegram will be fully end-to-end encrypted. The instant messaging service also has a handy way to let users ensure their video calls are always secure and private. “To confirm your connection, compare the four emoji shown on-screen for you and your chat partner – if they match, your call is 100% secured by time-tested encryption also used in Telegram’s Secret Chats and Voice Calls,” according to Telegram.

Users can start a one-on-one video call on Telegram from their contact’s profile page. The feature will support picture-in-picture for multitasking. Users will be free to switch their video on or off any time during the call. All of this seems like a pretty standard affair, but remember, pulling off encrypted video calls are not easy which is why Telegram is still hard at work on its group video calling feature.

Telegram had announced in April that it was working on a group calling feature that would apparently offer a high level of utility and security for its growing user base across the world – Telegram has more than 400 million monthly active users globally.

“Video calls in 2020 are much like messaging in 2013. There are apps that are either secure or usable, but not both. We’d like to fix that, and we will focus on bringing you secure group video calls in 2020,” Telegram had said in a blog post.

Further details, including participant count that it is looking to support, are awaited.