So, Telegram is testing voice calling on its beta Android app. Since the feature is still under testing, things may not always work in your favour. The app may crash and the quality of the calls cannot be guaranteed. At least one person I tested this with experienced some of those issues while I, on the other hand, was mostly okay save for the occasional lag of the app.
Stories are for another day, here’s how to start calling your friends and family right away:
- Download Telegram beta on Telegram (for up to date versions of the app make sure you subscribe to this unofficial Telegram beta channel).
- Install it (the app) – make sure you’ve allowed apps to be installed from third-party sources on your Android device in the settings app (Settings > Security > Unknown sources).
- Open the installed Telegram beta app. Open the settings menu and scroll down to the last option, Switch Backend. Click it.
- You have now entered Telegram’s test server and as such are isolated from the rest of the normal world. All your Telegram contacts, bots and channels are now unreachable. Do not panic.
- That’s it, you’re done. The only problem is that you still don’t have the all important call button showing up to indicate that voice calls have been enabled. If one of your Telegram contacts has Telegram beta installed and voice calls enabled, they will get a notification that you “have joined Telegram”. They can then call you and your voice calling feature will have been activated. Or…
- On the app’s search bar, type @tgcalls and join the community that will help you activate voice calls on your Telegram beta app. In the @tgcalls group, ask for any member to call you.
- Voila! You’re home and dry. Call a friend and spread the word.
