Telegram is a great Google Meet alternative for long video calls — but only on your phone


Thanks to the pandemic, I’ve had to participate in at least a few video calls every week, either for work or to catch up with friends. Most platforms were great to use last year, when they offered unlimited free calls and other features at no cost.

But now, these platforms have been scaling back on free features. Last month, Google Meet limited its free group calls to 60 minutes. That could be annoying if you’re watching a show or a movie with friends.

Thankfully, there are alternatives like Telegram for that. Last month, the chat app rolled out a group call feature. Now, it has extended the maximum viewers limit for a group call to 1,000 participants. You can read up on how to start a video call on Telegram here.