Telegram now offers group calls for 100 people with end-to-end encryption — in test mode for now

The beta version of Telegram for Android (11.9.1) has a group calling feature that allows up to 100 users to communicate simultaneously in one group. This was reported by the resource “Durova Code” in its Telegram channel. You can create a group call in the “Calls” section by first selecting the Start New Call option, and then Create Call Link.

Image source: “Durov’s Code”

After this, the user will be asked to copy the call link in the t.me/call format, which can be sent to several members of the created group at once by clicking the Share button.

Participants in a group call will also be able to add new users to the call, if their privacy settings allow it.

It is also reported that group calls are protected by end-to-end encryption (E2E), participants can individually turn on or off the microphone and speaker, and broadcast an image from the camera.

Earlier, in April, Telegram began labeling channels whose owners had registered with Roskomnadzor. That same month, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov reported that the messenger’s audience had exceeded 1 billion active users per month. Now it is second only to WhatsApp in popularity, not counting China’s WeChat.