Telegram adds always on voice chats, SD card support, and new animations

As the year draws to a close, Telegram is pushing out a new update that adds to what is already one of the most feature-rich messaging apps. The most interesting addition is Voice Chats, which allows users in a group chat to participate in an always-on conference call, coming and going as they please.

Once activated (by an admin), group chats will have a special bar at the top that shows how many members are currently involved in the voice chat. Android users can further this experience by enabling a system-wide floating widget. Notably, the feature can support up to a "few thousand participants," but I'm having trouble imagining how that could go well.

Voice Chats will also be available on iOS, Windows, and macOS. On desktop, you'll be able to assign a push-to-talk key to send messages even when Telegram is not focused. The new update brings a few other improvements too. Something you'll immediately notice is the new animations that are littered throughout the Android app. And yes, you can finally move your data from internal storage to an SD card.

Telegram's media editing tools on Android and iOS are now on par with one another. You can now add effects, drawings, or stickers to an already-sent photo on Android, while Apple users gain the the ability to quickly edit and send back photos. Finally, the update brings more animated emojis and will also show outlines of stickers before they load, making it a tad quicker to select an appropriate one.