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Video Calls the Threema Way

· Deutsche Version

After a thorough beta test, video calls are now ready for everyday use! Simply switch on the camera during a Threema call, and your contact will see you in stunning image quality, while you can rest assured that no one else is able to access the video.

Rigorous Data Protection

Since video calls contain personally identifiable information of the purest form, they are particularly worthy of protection. As is to be expected, Threema’s video calls are designed from the ground up with security and privacy in mind. Not only the transmitted data but also signaling is fully end-to-end encrypted, and before a call is accepted, no data is transmitted.

When it comes to metadata, video calls also meet Threema’s rigorous standard. In order to ensure full end-to-end encryption of all metadata (including real-time metadata, such as camera orientation), our team had to make corrections to the widely used base technology “WebRTC.” This security improvement will be incorporated into the WebRTC project, meaning that countless other communication services benefit from our patch in the future.

Technical details concerning the security aspects of Threema’s video calls are documented in the Cryptography Whitepaper.

Intuitive User Interface

To place a video call, simply start a regular Threema call, and tap the camera button in the top right corner to activate video transmission. Your call partner can choose to turn on their camera at any time, or, if preferred, they can leave it off during the entire call, which is to say that it’s possible to conduct one-way video calls.

While a video call is ongoing, you can return to the app and use it like you normally would. On Android, you can even leave the app and continue video calls in picture-in-picture mode.

If you wish not to receive video calls at all, simply deactivate the Allow Video Calls option in Settings > Threema Calls.

Excellent Voice and Image Quality

Video calls exhibit the crystal-clear voice quality Threema users have become accustomed to from voice calls. Image quality is every bit as brilliant and automatically adapts to the available bandwidth. But don’t take our word for it, update the app and see for yourself: