Signal takes on Zoom and Teams with this new update

Choosing the right instant messaging service to communicate with loved ones and colleagues is not an easy thing. If you are sure to find almost everyone around you on Messenger or WhatsApp, other applications like Telegram have very good arguments to make. Signal, much less popular, is one of those outsiders who never cease to impress us, as much by their ambitions as by the quality of their services.

And Signal has just won a few benefits. Indeed, as its creators explain in a blog post, video calls have undergone several improvements and new features, notably with the arrival of a new tab called “Calls”.

By browsing the latter, we now have access to the call log, but also to a new tool allowing you to create an invitation link. As on Meet, Zoom or Teams, this allows you to invite people to join a video call, which allows you to bypass the creation of a conversation group with all the users concerned. A task that can quickly become tedious when there are many of them.

When creating a call, it is possible to name it, choose whether users will be able to join it with or without the administrator’s consent, and of course share this new link via Signal or other platforms . It can also be reused indefinitely, thus providing a recurring place of conversation for work meetings or exchanges between loved ones.

An air of déjà vu that will please as many people as possible

Signal has also added a queue feature, allowing participants to raise a virtual hand to ask questions. If you have a feeling of déjà vu, it’s normal: here we are once again tackling what Meet and others have been offering for several years now.

Along the same lines, Signal’s desktop applications include an option to modify the arrangement of conversations. We can thus switch from a grid view, with a sidebar, or by highlighting the participant who is speaking.

Finally, users can react mid-conversation with emojis. “ If enough people share the same reaction in a short period of time, you’ll see a funny emoji spring up and explode », specifies Signal. Not sure that this will appeal to the most killjoy managers, and this functionality will be aimed more at groups of friends and family.

If the developers seem to have revised their copy very well, it is difficult to know if their application will be able to interest the many users and companies already accustomed to very well-established competition. As with its instant messaging aspect, it is dealing with big names that will be difficult to dislodge.

To go further
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If you want to test these new features, you can do so now. Signal is rolling out to iOS, Android and desktops, and if you still haven’t received the update, it should arrive shortly.