Telegram promises to implement group video calling feature in May
After introducing one-on-one video calls, WhatsApp's rival messaging platform Telegram recently announced that it would get a group video calling feature in May. The announcement was made in the official Telegram channel of the platform's CEO Pavel Durov. He said that the feature will pack "everything you can expect from a modern video conferencing tool, but with Telegram-level UI, speed, and encryption."
Durov said the feature would pack modern video conferencing amenities
Telegram originally planned to roll out group video calling in 2020, but it didn't. However, in August last year, it added one-on-one video calls that featured end-to-end encryption. In his message announcing the upcoming addition of group video calls, Durov wrote that the feature will pack screen sharing, encryption, noise-cancellation, and desktop and tablet support.
Telegram cashes in on video conferencing's pandemic-fuelled popularity
If Telegram manages to bundle these options into the group video calls feature, we believe it could rival dedicated video conferencing solutions including Zoom and Skype. It would be difficult to imagine work-from-home during the COVID-19 pandemic without video conferencing. The pandemic-fuelled boom in video conferencing even saw search giant Google open up its enterprise-grade Google Meet platform to anyone with a Gmail account.
WhatsApp's privacy policy implementation deadline could draw users to Telegram
Telegram's new feature could also attract more users who are ditching WhatsApp as the uncompromising deadline for its controversial privacy policy change draws nearer. However, WhatsApp has supported video calling for years. Usually, it's the other way round, with the Facebook product imitating its rivals including Telegram. Meanwhile, Durov didn't specify which kind of encryption Telegram's new feature would use, which could deter some.
Steady user count growth is a good sign for Telegram
Telegram's steadily growing user base reflects people's general desire to stay connected during the pandemic as well as the indirect effect that Facebook's recent data leaks have had on WhatsApp's rivals. However, the success or failure of the group video calling feature remains tied to how the platform implements it.
