Telegram Voice Chats limits removed, making rooms like radio

By Chris Burns/March 19, 2021 10:08 am EST

Telegram updated Voice Chats to a full "2.0" this week by removing all participant number restrictions. Voice Chats are now allowed in Telegram channels, and this update adds a bunch of features to the connected pair of features. Admins for both public groups and channels can activate the ability to host voice chats for unlimited numbers of live listeners.

This update adds features like rich lists of participants in channels and recordable voice chats. Users can work with voice chat titles and use invite links for both speakers and listeners. If you are the admin of a public group or channel, you can create invite links "that open the voice chat right away" – and separate links can be made for listeners and for speakers.

Once you're inside a chat, users will be able to raise their hand. The admin can then approve them to speak. The "raise hand" animation is a tiny person waving at the admin – neat!

Recording voice chats is simple, now, resulting in an audio file that's immediately available in Saved Messages. When a voice chat is being recorded in Telegram BY Telegram, a red light appears next to the title of the voice chat.

The latest update to Telegram allows "public figures" to join voice chats as their channels, now, too – adding to the wide variety of ways and means with which public figures can use Telegram to connect with readers and listeners.

If you're an Android user, your chat list now works with new gestures. If you swipe left on a chat list item, you can choose which chat list action occurs. This can include Pin, Archive, Read, Mute, Delete, or Change Folder.

The Resume Playback feature for videos and audio tracks was added to voice messages. Before now, it was only available for videos and audio tracks, now it's here for voice messages as well.

This update should be live in the Google Play app store for Android and in the Apple App Store for iOS devices. You should be able to access the same features with your desktop Telegram app as well – go see and/or update before you tap!