How to Stop Telegram Saving Photos and Videos to Your Gallery
25/10/2026How to Send and Receive Media on Telegram (Photos, Videos and Files)
25/10/2026
Updated 25 October 2026 · iPhone, Android, Desktop
How to make a video call on Telegram?
Open the chat with the person, start a call and switch the camera on. That is the whole trick for a one-to-one call. This guide also covers group calls of up to 200 people, call links, video chats in groups, live streams in channels, screen sharing, who can see your IP address and what every error message really means.
- iPhone: open the chat, tap the person’s name at the top, tap Video.
- Android: open the chat, tap ⋮ at the top right, tap Video Call.
- Desktop: click the phone icon in the chat header, then click the camera icon once the call connects.
Video calls are free, need no Premium and are end-to-end encrypted. If the call does not go through, jump to the status decoder.
End-to-end encrypted
Press Call. The status lines are the real ones from Telegram’s apps.
Which kind of Telegram call do you need?
Telegram has four different “video” experiences. They are started in different places and have different limits, so pick the right one first.
One-to-one video call
A private call with one contact or any Telegram user whose privacy settings allow it. Turn video on before or during the call.
- Where
- The chat or the person’s profile
- People
- 2
- Encryption
- End-to-end, emoji key
- Best for
- Family, friends, a quick client check-in
Group call (conference call)
Introduced in April 2025. Add people to a running call, start a call with several contacts, or share a call link. No group chat is needed.
- Where
- Add People in a call, or Calls tab, New Call
- People
- Up to 200 (Telegram’s figure)
- Encryption
- End-to-end, emoji key
- Best for
- Team meetings, family calls, quick webinars
Video chat in a group
A room that lives inside a group. Members drop in and out while the group chat carries on. Admins start it and can record it.
- Where
- Group profile, Video Chat
- People
- Audio for every member; camera slots limited
- Encryption
- No end-to-end claim from Telegram
- Best for
- Communities, study groups, office hours
Live stream in a channel
One-to-many video for a channel. Subscribers watch and comment. You can stream from the phone or from software such as OBS.
- Where
- Channel profile, Live Stream
- People
- Unlimited viewers (Telegram FAQ)
- Encryption
- No end-to-end claim from Telegram
- Best for
- Launches, Q&A, events for subscribers
How do you start a one-to-one video call?
Both people need Telegram installed and a recent version. You do not need each other’s phone number, but their call privacy setting must allow you.
Open the chat with the person from the chat list or search.
Tap their name or photo at the top to open the profile.
Tap Video. The call starts with your camera on. Allow camera and microphone the first time.
During the call flip the camera, turn video off, share your screen or end with the red button.
Open the chat with the person.
Tap ⋮ at the top right. The phone icon next to it starts a voice call instead.
Tap Video Call. You can also open the profile and tap the camera icon.
Go back to your chats and the call shrinks to a floating window.
Open the chat in Telegram Desktop for Windows, macOS or Linux.
Click the phone icon in the chat header.
Click the camera icon once the call connects. Desktop switches to video only after the connection is up.
Use Screencast to show a window or your whole screen.
Turning video on in a voice call works the same way: tap or click the camera button. Turning it off keeps the call running as audio only.
How do group calls and call links work?
Since April 2025 any call can grow into a group call. Telegram also calls this a conference call. You do not need to create a group chat first.
-
From a call you are already in
Call one person, then tap Add People (top right on phones). You can add people once the call is connected.
-
Several people at once
Open the Calls tab, tap New Call and select several contacts. On some Android setups you first turn the Calls tab on under Settings.
-
A call link
In the Calls tab tap New Call, then Create Call Link. Anyone on Telegram with the link can join, so share it only where you mean to. You can revoke it, which makes a fresh link.
-
A QR code
From the link’s ⋯ menu choose Get QR Code so people in the room can scan it.
What about video chats in groups and live streams in channels?
These are rooms attached to a group or a channel, not calls you place to a person. Think of a stage and an audience.
Start one
- Group: admins open the group profile and choose Video Chat. Members tap the banner at the top of the chat to join.
- Channel: admins open the channel profile and choose Live Stream. Subscribers watch and comment.
- Camera slots: everyone can listen, but only a limited number can share video. Telegram announced 30 video slots and 1,000 video viewers in July 2021. The apps read the slot limit from each call, so it may be different today.
Recording is visible
Admins can record audio, or video in portrait or landscape. Everyone sees that recording has started, and the file lands in the recorder’s Saved Messages.
Join as your channel
Telegram lets you choose to appear as your personal account or as a channel you own.
Screen with sound
Share your screen instead of or next to your camera. On desktop you can share one window and add system audio.
Are Telegram video calls private?
One-to-one and group calls are end-to-end encrypted. Two details decide how private they really are: the emoji key and peer-to-peer.
Same four emoji on both devices means nobody sits in the middle of the encrypted connection. Telegram’s own wording is that the call is then “100% secure”.
It does not stop the other person from recording the screen, and it does not hide that a call took place. Compare the emoji out loud, not by sending them in the chat.
Contacts connect directly and can see your IP address. Strangers go through Telegram’s relay, which hides it.
Settings › Privacy and Security › Calls › Peer-to-peer. Telegram’s note: turning it off relays every call through its servers “but may decrease audio and video quality”.
Which call settings should you change?
Five settings decide who can reach you, which device rings and how much data a call uses. The switches below are a model of the real screens.
Who can call me?
Everybody, My contacts or Nobody, plus Always allow and Never allow lists for exceptions. If you pick Nobody, people see a message that they cannot call you because of your privacy settings.
Settings › Privacy and Security › Calls
Accept calls on this device
Each logged-in device has its own switch. Turn it off on a laptop or old tablet so only your phone rings.
Settings › Devices › tap a device › Accept Calls
Use less data for calls
Android offers Never, Only on mobile data, Only while roaming or Always. Lower data means lower video quality.
Settings › Data and Storage › Calls
Respond with text
Decline a call with a ready-made message on Android. Edit the quick replies to your own words.
A ringtone per person
Give a contact their own call ringtone from their profile notification settings.
Why is my Telegram video call not working?
Pick the message you see on screen. Each one is quoted from Telegram’s own apps, so you can match it exactly.
Your app is asking Telegram to set up the call
If it stays here, your connection to Telegram is weak or filtered. Switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data, or turn your VPN off and on. On Telegram Desktop with a proxy, open proxy settings and turn on Use proxy for calls.
Telegram is waiting for the other device
Their phone may be offline, in battery saver, or has calls turned off for that device. Send a message first so they open the app, then call again.
Both sides are connected but the media link is not
The call reached them, but the encrypted audio and video stream cannot get through. Office, school and hotel Wi-Fi often block it. Move one side to mobile data, or try with peer-to-peer set to Nobody so the call uses Telegram’s relay.
The connection could not be made
Same causes as above, plus very old app versions. Update both apps, restart, then try once on mobile data. In some countries operators block messenger calls: Russia, for example, started restricting Telegram and WhatsApp calls in August 2025. Messages still work there, calls do not.
They are already in another call
Nothing is wrong on your side. Leave a message or try in a few minutes.
Their call privacy does not include you
Telegram shows: “you cannot call [name] because of their privacy settings. You can ask them to modify their setting or to call you instead.” Ask them to call you, or to add you to Always allow.
Their Telegram is too old
The message says they “need to update their app before you can call them”. Ask them to update Telegram from the app store or telegram.org.
Telegram cannot reach your camera
On phones, allow Camera and Microphone for Telegram in the system settings. On a computer, close other apps that use the webcam, check the cable, and pick the right camera in Telegram’s call settings.
A general call error
Usually temporary. Check you are online and not in airplane mode, wait a minute and retry. If it keeps happening in one country only, local call blocking is the likely cause.
What should you check before an important call?
Tick each item. The signal meter fills as you go.
0 of 6 checked
Planning live streams for your channel?
A live stream works best when the channel already looks established. Our Telegram Real Members start at $5 per 1,000 for public channels and groups. To be straight with you: bought members rarely sit through a live stream, so use them to give a new channel a credible start and let your content bring the viewers.
Questions people ask about Telegram video calls
Are Telegram video calls free?
Yes. One-to-one calls, group calls, video chats and live streams are free and do not need Telegram Premium. You only use your own internet data.
How many people can join a Telegram video call?
A one-to-one call has two people. A group call can have up to 200 people according to Telegram’s April 2025 announcement; the number is set by Telegram’s servers. Video chats in groups let every member listen, with a limited number of camera slots, and channel live streams have no viewer limit.
Can I video call someone who is not in my contacts?
Yes, if their “Who can call me” setting is Everybody, or if they added you to Always allow. Calls with non-contacts are relayed through Telegram’s servers by default, so your IP address stays hidden.
Does Telegram notify the other person if I record a call?
Recording built into Telegram exists only for video chats and live streams, and everyone sees that recording has started. Private calls have no record button, but nothing stops someone from using their phone’s screen recorder, so keep that in mind.
Can I share my screen on a Telegram call?
Yes. Screen sharing works in one-to-one calls, group calls and video chats. On desktop you can share a single window and include system audio.
Why does my Telegram call say “exchanging encryption keys” and never connect?
The call reached the other person, but the network blocks the audio and video stream. Switch one side to mobile data or set peer-to-peer to Nobody so the call uses Telegram’s relay.
Can I make Telegram video calls from a computer?
Yes, with Telegram Desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux. Start a call from the phone icon in the chat header and switch the camera on after it connects. If you have several devices, use Accept Calls to choose which ones ring.
Does a video call show my phone number?
No. A call shows your name and profile photo. Your phone number stays hidden unless your phone number privacy setting already shows it to that person.
Which guides go well with video calls?
How we checked this guide. On 25 October 2026 we read the call, group call and privacy strings and the app configuration code of Telegram Desktop, the call strings of Telegram for Android, the Telegram FAQ, and Telegram’s announcements from August 2020, June 2021, July 2021 and April 2025, plus Interfax on call blocking in Russia. Written by the AddTelegramMember team, a Telegram growth service since 2019.
