Telegram has animated backgrounds and group video calls

Telegram has released a new version of its mobile client. It brought a number of innovations, including animated backgrounds for chats, animations when sending messages, and long-awaited group video calls.

Group video calls

With the release of the update, users of the messenger can now enable video feed from the camera or the screen image in the voice chat in any group. This means that voice chats can be turned into a place for business meetings, family gatherings or online classes. To do this, just click on the camera icon. Now the number of videoconferencing participants is limited to 30 users, but Telegram promises to increase this limit in the near future.

With the new video broadcasting function, users have the opportunity to broadcast in group chats not only video from cameras of their devices, but also the image from the screen. To start broadcasting from the screen, just click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.

The creators of Telegram have optimized the interface of group video calls for large screens, that is, tablets, laptops and desktops. Users can expand the sidebar to see both the video feed and the attendee list in front of them.

Animated backgrounds

Another feature of the updated Telegram is the appearance of animated backgrounds in chats. Moreover, users can either choose one of dozens of ready-made backgrounds, or create their own by choosing any three or four shades and one of the patterns. The system algorithmically mixes several colors for smooth iridescence when sending messages or opening the keyboard. Users can share the created background with their contacts.

Other features include new animations when sending messages, a special menu for bots, where commands for communicating with them are collected, a new portion of animated emoji, and the ability to create and import new stickers into Telegram.

A couple of exclusive innovations have appeared in the Telegram iOS client. IPhone owners have the ability to change the default app icon to one of the new iridescent icons. Also on iOS, there are hints about the relevance of data. Telegram will send the user a notification about the need to update the data if the phone number changes. On Android, this option will be added a little later.

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