Telegram Adds Group Voice Chat, And Aims For Monetization, Founder Said

Telegram

In the modern days of messaging, messages don't only come as text. They can be images, videos, and also voice.

Telegram is one of the most popular privacy-first multi-platformed messaging app. Founded by Pavel Durov who formerly founded social media VKontakte, it has released a major update on the mobile platforms that adds voice chat support to groups.

Unlike voice calls, voice chats are like voice messages that are often short, and can go in and out very frequently. It's a kind of messaging that allows users to talk and listen to others, in a way that is most convenient for users. With voice messages, users can continue their devices or the app, like there is nothing, and return to the voice message when they wish.

In here, Telegram adds that support for group messaging.

In a blog post, Telegram said that:

"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."

According to Telegram, voice messaging, or voice chats as it calls it, allows users to have the flexibility of open voice messaging instead of old school scheduling.

"Groups with active voice chats have a special bar at the top that shows who is talking 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," explained Telegram.

To make use of the feature, users just need to join a voice chat group, to then tap on the microphone button to go "live".

When users connect to the voice chat, the microphone controls remain on screen so that users can quickly mute and unmute themselves at any time.

When finished, users just need to tap on the "leave" button.

"With any Telegram group update to become a voice chat room that is always on. Voice Chats run in parallel to existing text and media-based communication, adding a live layer of ephemeral talk to the group. They can be used as virtual office spaces for teams or informal lounges for any community."

For Android, users, they benefit from an added perk, which allows them to enjoy a full Voice Chat experience with a system-wide floating widget that shows the microphone controls and who is currently talking, even when Telegram is in the background.

Besides the voice chat feature, Telegram has also enhanced its animated stickers to "efficiency and deliver smooth 180 frame animations with infinite resolution in less than 50 KB."

Also for Android users, Telegram has other updates for them.

There is one that allows users to store Telegram app data inside the SD card instead of the internal storage. Then there are added animations throughout the Android app, which could be seen on the New Message button, opening profiles, managing chat folders and anywhere users see message counters.

As for iOS users, Telegram can have Siri to read incoming messages aloud in the headphones.

Then there is also the quick edit feature.

"Each of these features was previously available only on one of the platforms, but now both iOS and Android offer equal opportunities for drawing moustaches on selfies," Telegram explained.

And as usual, last but not least, Telegram also added more animated emoji.

In an another news, Telegram is approaching 500 million users.

Getting ready for the half-a-billion milestone, founder Pavel Durov said that he plans to start generating revenue starting 2021 to keep the business operational.

Durov said he has personally bankrolled the seven-year-old business to date, but as the startup scales he is looking for ways to monetize the instant messaging service.

“As Telegram approaches 500 million active users, many of you are asking the question – who is going to pay to support this growth?” Durov said in a statement posted to his Telegram channel.

“For most of Telegram’s history, I paid for the expenses of the company from my personal savings. However, with its current growth Telegram is on track to reach billions of users and to require appropriate funding,” he said.

For starters, Durov wants to introduce Telegram its own Ad Platform for public one-to-many channels — “one that is user-friendly, respects privacy and allows us to cover the costs of server and traffic,” he wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that Telegram will also not introduce ads in private one-to-one chats or group chats because it's a “bad idea.”

“If we monetize large public one-to-many channels via the Ad Platform, the owners of these channels will receive free traffic in proportion to their size. Or, if Telegram introduces premium stickers with additional expressive features, the artists who make stickers of this new type will also get a part of the profit,” Durov said.

Durov also plans to launch a pay-for-services model where premium Telegram users can pay to gain certain features free users don't have.

“All the features that are currently free will stay free. We will add some new features for business teams or power users. Some of these features will require more resources and will be paid for by these premium users. Regular users will be able to keep enjoying Telegram – for free, forever,” Durov said.

With no plan to sell the company “like the founders of WhatsApp,” Durov said that Telegram should begin making revenue in 2021.

"We will do it in accordance with our values and the pledges we have made over the last 7 years. Thanks to our current scale, we will be able to do it in a non-intrusive way. Most users will hardly notice any change,” he said.

Published: 
24/12/2020