The Signal messenger application has announced a set of new features aimed at making private group chats more convenient and easier for people to join.
The highlight feature announced is "call links," which allow users to create and share links with other Signal users without needing to create a group chat.
The links can be created from the new "calls" tab in the Signal app and then shared with contacts with a single tap/click.
Users can control who joins the secure group chats by requiring admin approval when a new join request is created, so the host can approve or decline them.
Source: Signal
Call links are reusable, so they're immediately available for recurring meetings, periodic check-ins in professional settings, or regular friend gatherings.
Signal notes that these group calls support up to 50 people, so they can accommodate large meetings without compromising privacy.
In the same announcement, Signal highlights the following new features, mostly focused on improving usability and engagement during calls:
- Raise Hand Button: Participants can signal that they want to speak without interrupting, making group calls more organized. Raised hands are displayed in order, so everyone knows whose turn it is.
- Emoji Reactions: Users can share quick reactions during a call (like hearts or thumbs-up) to show feedback without speaking. An "emoji burst" appears if many users react with the same emoji at once.
- Dedicated Calls Tab: A new tab on the app's main screen lets users view their call history, manage ongoing calls, and access call links easily.
- Enhanced Desktop Call Views: On the desktop app, users can now choose different participant layouts, such as Grid, Sidebar, or Speaker view, to better organize the call's visual experience.
- Updated Call Controls: Improved buttons make it simpler to turn the camera or microphone on and off, change the speaker source, and see who else is on the call.
All features announced this time are available on the latest version of Signal for Android, iOS, and Windows, so updating to the latest version for your platform should make them immediately available.
Those interested in trying out the latest features and helping Signal squash any bugs in them through reporting can join the app's beta program.
Comments
XSp - 2 days ago
Very nice! Just to clarify - this is for video calls too, right?
This might be the way I'm convincing some people to switch from WhatsApp... and Zoom.
I have a few potential groups of people who uses Zoom, have to pay for it because of free account restrictions, but will often turn to WhatsApp group chat when something isn't working in Zoom.
50 people limit is more than enough for my cases. Might not be for others, but more than enough for me.
And from the feature list, I think it has everything that I need from it. Changing to different view styles, intuitive interface to mute and see who's on call, raise hands and send emojis... all good stuff.
I'll have to try it out to see how intuitive the interface is... whatever it is, I'm sure I'll be able to handle it fine, but I have to check from the pov of the least tech savvy participants. Will probably be fine.
Kudos to the Signal team! They've been making strides despite swimming against the market flow.
I've a renewed wish to get away from WhatsApp now that they forced Meta AI into it. It's almost impossible unfortunately since WhatsApp became a de facto communications standard in my country, but if I can drag as many people away from it as I can, it's still a net positive.
Decades long journey... I won't give up.