Messaging app Signal has always focused on providing a private and secure way to communicate, and it’s now expanding that to include group video calls.
Signal already offered end-to-end encrypted video calls, but they have always been limited to just two users. The messaging service first teased group video calls back in June when the team started looking for programmers to help develop the feature. Six months later and it’s finally launching.
When you open a group chat in Signal, a new video call button should appear at the top. Participants will receive an notification stating a call has started and they will be displayed in a grid view by default. It’s easy to change that to focus on an active speaker if you prefer, though.
As Signal users have come to expect, the group video call feature is free to use. It’s limited to just five participants for now, but Signal is “working to let you have even more participants in a group call soon.” To use it, you’ll need the latest version of the Signal app and must be using the new style Signal groups. Legacy groups are not supported.
