Secure messaging app Telegram has announced the launch of a video calling feature for its iOS app that the company says is end-to-end encrypted, just like phone calls and text-based messages conducted over the chat platform. Calls can be started from a contact's profile page.

telegram video calls

All video calls are protected with end-to-end encryption. 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.

The feature is an alpha version, so there's more work to do on it before it's fully robust, but it already includes support for switching from audio to video and vice versa at any time, as well as picture-in-picture mode, which means users can read and respond to other messages while they're chatting to the person on the other end of the call.

Telegram originally announced in April that it planned to introduce group video calls later this year. In its latest post, the company said group video calls will arrive in the coming months, offering users an alternative to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, WhatsApp, and other rival video-conferencing enabled platforms.

Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

Sasparilla Avatar
68 months ago

In what way(s) exactly is Signal more secure?
Well, you can start with the encryption. Telegram uses its own custom encryption, which security experts have panned from the beginning (since it was originally developed in Russia, I believe, with hands off, magically, by the FSB, this isn't so surprising - they moved development out of Russia, guessing because it didn't look good from a marketing optics perspective) - that's from early on. Reminds me of that crippled encryption situation the NSA had put in place way back when here in the U.S..

Signal's encryption uses open standards that have been reviewed and approved by experts in the field.

https://gizmodo.com/why-you-should-stop-using-telegram-right-now-1782557415

Here's a review of the app from a privacy focused website:

https://restoreprivacy.com/telegram-messenger/

Alot of people use it though, and social pressure is powerful even causing people to act against one's own best interests. Look at all the people using Facebooks products.


Does Signal have a desktop app? No. Not even a contender for my use.
Lucky you, Signal does have a desktop app: https://signal.org/en/download/
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
happyprozak Avatar
68 months ago

I think they mean more respect as in:
Android ultimately hands the choice of what software you can have, malicious or non-malicious, via the use of sideloading without having to phone home to Apple every 7/365 days.

Not that it matters due to the various jailbreaks to sideload ad-infinitum, but it’s more the principle really.
It does matter because the average user barely knows how to use their phone, let alone manage to jailbreak it. This is true for both Android and Apple users. While Android users can sideload, it's a poisoned chalice and the vast majority of users have no clue it's even possible.

I would guess that 99.99% of the population is better off because of the app store protectionism on both Google and Apple app stores.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
feldpos Avatar
68 months ago

Well, you can start with the encryption. Telegram uses its own custom encryption, which security experts have panned from the beginning (since it was originally developed in Russia, I believe, with hands off, magically, by the FSB, this isn't so surprising - they moved development out of Russia, guessing because it didn't look good from a marketing optics perspective) - that's from early on. Reminds me of that crippled encryption situation the NSA had put in place way back when here in the U.S..
Please stop spreading this rubbish. There's no concern about their crypto, only the fact that not /everything/ is E2E. Telegram's founded by the Durov brothers who hate Putin. They're not backdooring their system.

Regular chats == not E2E, but good enough. All of Telegram's cloud is fully encrypted and each datacenter holds the keys to decrypt the data in a different datacenter in another country. You can't raid Telegram's servers and get anything useful. These chats also offer a lot of features that other platforms like Signal do not.

Secret chats == Fully E2E, just like Signal

Telegram gives you both security and convenience depending on what you need.

You can delete the messages off the other person's device too, which isn't possible in Signal unless you set messages to expire beforehand.

Signal is slow and terrible. I've never had a video or audio call work correctly. Telegram's work great.

Everything you need to know is in their FAQ https://telegram.org/faq#security
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
miq Avatar
68 months ago
I was really upset
Seriously? Lol.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
videosoul Avatar
68 months ago

Signal does this for a long time and in a much more secure way.
In what way(s) exactly is Signal more secure?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bustycat Avatar
68 months ago
Although I am a long-time Telegram user, I was really upset by their initial statement about iOS App Store. It was later removed after Telegram version 7.0 was approved later within a half of day.

Why not on iOS?
We would like to apologize to all our iOS users for launching this feature on Android only. Apple has failed to review this update in time, even though we submitted it to the App Store several days before sending it to Google Play.

If you're on iOS and would like to try Telegram Video Calls, you'll have to wait until Apple lets you – or switch to a platform that has more respect for its users and developers, like Android.
https://web.archive.org/web/20200814165954/https://telegram.org/blog/video-calls
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...