Go live: live streams and video chats

What it is

A video chat is a live call inside a group; a live stream is the same in a channel. Both take unlimited viewers. Speakers show a camera or their screen, listeners raise a hand to speak, and everyone can post short comments and reactions on screen. Since November 2025 anyone can also go live in stories; viewers comment and pay Stars to pin a comment or thank the host.

How to do it

1. As an admin, open the group's profile › Video Chat, or the channel's profile ›… As an admin, open the group's profile › Video Chat, or the channel's profile › Live Stream (on Android, under ⋮). Desktop: ⋮ › Start video chat or Start live stream.
2. To start later, choose Schedule Video Chat (Schedule Live Stream in a channel);… To start later, choose Schedule Video Chat (Schedule Live Stream in a channel); members see a countdown, and it begins only when an admin taps Start Now.
3. To stream from OBS Studio or XSplit, choose Stream With… and paste the server URL and stream key into that app.
4. To record, tap ⋯ or ⋮ during the broadcast: video with audio or audio only,… To record, tap ⋯ or ⋮ during the broadcast: video with audio or audio only, portrait or landscape; the file lands in Saved Messages.
5. In a live story, the top-corner menu › Live Settings controls comments and their price.

Watch out

• On-screen comments work only in groups with fewer than 1,000 participants; each is up to 128 characters and stays for 10 seconds.
• To let someone else run broadcasts, give them the admin right Manage Video Chats (Manage Live Streams in a channel).

With Gem

Gem doesn't run live streams or video chats. Nearby: announce one in /myprojects › Posts; Gem translates it for each language's channel, publishes it now or at a time you say in words, and pins it everywhere.

Sources

• https://telegram.org/blog/live-streams-forwarding-next-channel
• https://telegram.org/blog/downloads-attachments-streaming
• https://telegram.org/blog/live-stories-gift-auctions
• https://telegram.org/blog/comments-in-video-chats-threads-for-bots

Open in Telegram ↗