Telegram Messaging App Gains End-to-End Encrypted Video Calling - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Telegram Messaging App Gains End-to-End Encrypted Video Calling

by

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

81 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)
81 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)
81 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)
81 months ago
I was really upset
Seriously? Lol.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
videosoul Avatar
81 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
81 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. telegram launches video calling feature image
https://web.archive.org/web/20200814165954/https://telegram.org/blog/video-calls
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone Duo Display Cracking

Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue

Friday October 30, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
In a memo shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, and later obtained by MacRumors, Apple provided technicians with guidance on how to diagnose and address the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking issue. If a customer reports the issue, Apple advised technicians to inspect the iPhone Duo and repair or replace it in accordance with their standard procedures....
iPad mini OLED feature 1

Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display

Thursday October 29, 2026 1:47 pm PDT by
While the new iPad mini has an OLED display, the device does not support ProMotion, meaning the display's refresh rate is limited to 60Hz instead of 120Hz. ProMotion support would have allowed for the iPad mini's refresh rate to automatically adjust from 10Hz to 120Hz depending on the content being displayed, but evidently Apple has kept the feature exclusive to the iPad Pro among iPad...
Pinched iPad Mini

Apple Avoids Showing Pinched Fingers on iPad Mini Page in South Korea

Thursday October 29, 2026 11:52 am PDT by
In the U.S. and most other countries, Apple's website shows the new iPad mini being held by pinched fingers, but this is not the case in South Korea. The new iPad mini shown with pinched fingers on Apple's website in the U.S. On its South Korean website, Apple simply shows an image of the iPad mini on its own. The new iPad mini shown without pinched fingers on Apple's website in South Korea ...
Latest Stories
Nearly Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon
Nearly Every M5 MacBook Air Now $200 Off on Amazon
20 minutes ago
Apple's HomeView Ships With Six-Month-Old Software
Apple's HomeView Ships With Six-Month-Old Software
2 hours ago
Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027
Three New iPads Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2027
2 hours ago
Apple Offers Steps to Fix Daylight Saving Time Bug on Apple Watch
Apple Offers Steps to Fix Daylight Saving Time Bug on Apple Watch
6 hours ago
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
1 day ago
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
1 day ago
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
1 day ago
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
1 day ago
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
1 day ago
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
1 day ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
1 day ago
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
2 days ago
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
2 days ago
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
2 days ago
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
2 days ago
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
2 days ago
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
2 days ago
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
2 days ago
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
2 days ago
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
2 days ago
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
2 days ago
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
2 days ago
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
2 days ago
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
2 days ago
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
2 days ago
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
2 days ago
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
2 days ago
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
2 days ago
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
2 days ago
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
2 days ago

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors