<metaproperty="og:description"content="Today, Telegram groups get an entire new dimension with Voice Chats – persistent conference calls that members can join and leave as they please. Our 12th update in 2020 brings them to you just in time for remote Christmas carols.">
<ahref="/file/464001062/2/DWQJyqLZkdM.231057/386a4080f2f5cc47a2"target="_blank"><imgsrc="/file/464001202/4/Mo4VjRb1ndM.81564/729451f158ff1f6267"srcset="/file/464001062/2/DWQJyqLZkdM.231057/386a4080f2f5cc47a2, 1200w"title="Don't eat the yellow sand."alt="Voice Chats Done Right"/></a>
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<p>Since <strong>2013</strong>, we've been expanding the definition of <strong>Group Chats</strong>, adding features like <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog/replies-mentions-hashtags">replies</a>, <ahref="https://telegram.org/tour/groups#mentions">mentions</a>, <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog/polls-2-0-vmq">polls</a>, <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog/admin-revolution">admin tools</a>, <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog/profile-videos-people-nearby-and-more#group-stats">statistics</a>– and allowing <strong>hundreds of thousands</strong> of members per group. Many of these features were later incorporated into other apps and redefined how people communicate.</p>
<p>Today, Telegram groups get an entire new dimension with <strong>Voice Chats</strong>– persistent conference calls that members can join and leave as they please. Our <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog">12th update</a> in <strong>2020</strong> brings them to you just in time for remote Christmas carols.</p>
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<p><strong>UPD March 2021:</strong> Don't miss <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog/voice-chats-on-steroids/">Voice Chats 2.0: Channels, Millions of Listeners, Recorded Chats, Admin Tools</a></p>
<p><strong>Any Telegram group</strong> can now become a voice chat room that is always on. Voice Chats run in parallel to existing text and media-based communication, adding a <strong>live layer</strong> of ephemeral talk to the group. They can be used as virtual office spaces for teams or informal lounges for any community.</p>
<p>While Voice Chats are not group calls, they can achieve similar goals – at the same time offering <strong>flexibility</strong> instead of old school scheduling. In larger groups, they also provide serendipitous opportunities for talking to people.</p>
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<videoclass="blog_video_player tl_blog_vid_autoplay"onclick="videoTogglePlay(this)"autoplayloopcontrolsmutedposter="/file/464001806/2/ZdTEg4owdeU.196621/6b3f6ba6826440ae99"style="max-width: 400px;"title="Karaoke, anyone?"alt="Voice Chat in a group">
<p>Groups with active voice chats have a special bar at the top that shows <strong>who is talking</strong> at the moment (and even how loud they are). This can help you pick the right moment to join – like noticing your friends going over to the cooler.</p>
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<videoclass="blog_video_player tl_blog_vid_autoplay"onclick="videoTogglePlay(this)"autoplayloopcontrolsmutedposter="/file/464001370/2/WYR5DDQ-uE4.18440/73f35495d32d05fd6b"style="max-width: 400px;"title="The new cooler for the cool kids."alt="'Speaking' statuses in the top bar">
<p>After joining a voice chat, you are <strong>free to move around</strong> the app, browse conversations and send messages. You stay connected to the chat and the microphone controls remain on screen so that you can quickly mute and unmute yourself at any time.</p>
<p>If you're on <strong>Android</strong>, you can enjoy the full Voice Chat experience with a <strong>system-wide floating widget</strong> that shows your mic controls and who is currently talking, even when Telegram is in the background. Santa is on Android too – and he needs his sleigh navigator open at all times.</p>
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<videoclass="blog_video_player tl_blog_vid_autoplay"onclick="videoTogglePlay(this)"autoplayloopcontrolsmutedposter="/file/464001537/3/o0Mvq_5eSpE.119905/00077aeb837fb1545b"style="max-width: 400px;"title="The mute button is a lot like space – no one will hear you scream."alt="Voice Chat system overlay on Android">
<p>You can chat with whomever is online or invite more people via the handy menu. Voice Chats can accommodate <strong>a few thousand participants</strong>, which means they'll work for everything from consulting family members while out shopping to a massive live event.</p>
<p>Last but not least, Voice Chats show <strong>spectacular animations</strong>. To get these right, our designer had to sell his soul to the devil – and we think it was totally worth it.</p>
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<p>To create a Voice Chat and find your own unique way of using them, open the profile of any group where you're an admin, tap (⋯) or (⋮) and select <em>Start Voice Chat</em>.</p>
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<p>Like Telegram groups before them, we hope that Voice Chats will change the way people collaborate and keep in touch. In the coming weeks, we'll be refining them further, listening to your feedback, improving noise suppression, and adding more features like <strong>video</strong> and <strong>screen sharing</strong>. </p>
<p>On <ahref="https://desktop.telegram.org/">Telegram Desktop</a> and in the <ahref="https://macos.telegram.org">native macOS app</a>, you can choose a <strong>push-to-talk key</strong> for Voice Chats, to control your mic even when Telegram is not focused. At long last, we've found a use for your Caps Lock key.</p>
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<videoclass="blog_video_player tl_blog_vid_autoplay"onclick="videoTogglePlay(this)"autoplayloopcontrolsmutedposter="/file/464001912/3/0LcsNe65r_o.74428/965a9ce215eed550d6"style="max-width: 400px;"title="Saying 'Over' at the end of your sentences is optional."alt="Push to talk shortcut on Telegram Desktop">
<p>Animated stickers on Telegram are <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog/animated-stickers">optimized for efficiency</a> and deliver smooth <strong>180 frame animations</strong> with infinite resolution in less than <strong>50 KB</strong>.</p>
<p>With today's update, stickers will load <strong>even faster</strong> than before – and show a <strong>shimmering outline</strong> of what you're about to see. Be careful not to blink though, or you'll miss it.</p>
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<videoclass="blog_video_player tl_blog_vid_autoplay"onclick="videoTogglePlay(this)"autoplayloopcontrolsmutedposter="/file/464001169/2/0kkUnJ9ZmjA.32038/ab43bf7088bcb9dee1"style="max-width: 400px;"title="Who’s That Pokémon?"alt="Watch sticker outlines while they're loading">
<h3><aclass="anchor"name="sd-card-storage-on-android"href="#sd-card-storage-on-android"><iclass="anchor-icon"></i></a>SD Card Storage on Android</h3>
<p>Users on Android devices can now move their Telegram app data from internal storage to their <strong>SD card</strong>, allowing those with minimal storage to save more media and files and maximize their Telegram experience.</p>
<ahref="/file/464001951/3/-k4orSn_n60.30678/80f578ea35c6edf933"target="_blank"><imgsrc="/file/464001951/3/-k4orSn_n60.30678/80f578ea35c6edf933"title="Not to be confused with an XD card, that's some old pre-emoji technology."alt="Storage Usage settings"srcset="/file/464001951/3/-k4orSn_n60.30678/80f578ea35c6edf933 , 2x"/></a>
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<p>Remember that you can always keep Telegram's storage footprint on your device <strong>incredibly small</strong>. See <em>Settings > Data and Storage > Storage Usage</em>.</p>
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<h3><aclass="anchor"name="new-animations-on-android"href="#new-animations-on-android"><iclass="anchor-icon"></i></a>New Animations on Android</h3>
<p>We've added <strong>slick new animations</strong> throughout the Android app – when tapping the <strong>New Message</strong> button, opening profiles, managing chat folders and anywhere you see <strong>message counters</strong>.</p>
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<videoclass="blog_video_player tl_blog_vid_autoplay"onclick="videoTogglePlay(this)"autoplayloopcontrolsmutedposter="/file/464001762/2/vS5cTej6l1Y.63720/ae574ada133ffee402"style="max-width: 400px;"title="You're never alone with the right animations."alt="New animations on Android">
<h3><aclass="anchor"name="announce-messages-on-ios"href="#announce-messages-on-ios"><iclass="anchor-icon"></i></a>Announce Messages on iOS</h3>
<p>If you're still on iOS, you can have Siri read incoming messages aloud in your headphones. Open <em>iOS Settings > Notifications > Announce Messages</em> and set Telegram to <strong>ON</strong> to stay up to date on your chats even while washing the dishes.</p>
<p>Android users can now quickly edit a photo which they've already sent to add <strong>effects</strong>, <strong>drawings</strong> or <strong>stickers</strong> with our powerful <ahref="https://telegram.org/blog/video-editor-gifs">media editor</a>. iOS users can tap the pen button to quickly <strong>edit and send back</strong> a photo they have received.</p>
<p>Each of these features was previously available only on one of the platforms, but now both iOS and Android offer <strong>equal opportunities</strong> for drawing moustaches on selfies.</p>
<ahref="/file/464001693/2/rXm4nECM0Kw.44043/55d3683f2c0c17425e"target="_blank"><imgsrc="/file/464001929/2/QUE897I1tDQ.18264/6c4f217a7c580c3ac5"title="It was surprisingly easy to get the shark into the suit. To get him to wear glasses was a lot more work."alt="Editing Improvements on iOS and Android"srcset="/file/464001693/2/rXm4nECM0Kw.44043/55d3683f2c0c17425e , 2x"/></a>
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<p>When <strong>editing a message or caption</strong>, as you approach the maximum message length, a counter will appear showing how many remaining characters you have lef</p>
<p>No update is complete without even more animated emoji. As usual, simply send a message with a single emoji to get one of these <imgclass="emoji"src="//telegram.org/img/emoji/40/F09F9187.png"width="20"height="20"alt="👇"/> in a chat.</p>
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<videoclass="blog_video_player tl_blog_vid_autoplay"onclick="videoTogglePlay(this)"autoplayloopcontrolsmutedposter="/file/464001923/2/F1Nk2JqOEMw.92452/b24b374017004006e6"style="max-width: 400px;"title="Beg for Christmas presents, yeehaw your way through any trouble 2021 throws at you or flex about your achievements in 2020."alt="New animated emoji, December 2020">
<p>Many Telegram features started out as user suggestions. To help identify potential new features and locate bugs within the app, we're launching a <strong>public</strong><ahref="https://bugs.telegram.org"><strong>Bug and Suggestion Platform</strong></a>.</p>
<ahref="LARGE"target="_blank"><imgsrc="SMALL"title="Wake up, Samurai. We have a bug to fix."alt="Bugs and Suggestions"srcset="LARGE , 2x"/></a>
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<p>We'll be rolling out the ability to suggest new features and report bugs <strong>gradually</strong> to make sure each submission gets the attention it deserves. All Telegram users are already welcome to view existing entries and <strong>vote</strong> on them. </p>
<p>And that's all for today, we'll see you in 2021 or once we're done building the next big thing – whichever comes first.</p>
<p><strong>P.S.</strong> The end of the year is normally a time to look back at the past 12 months. Instead, our founder Pavel Durov has just announced his <ahref="https://t.me/durov/142"><strong>strategy for making Telegram sustainable</strong></a>, to continue providing you with <strong>great features for decades to come</strong>.</p>
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