Voice Chats
Voice chats in Matrix are admittedly in a transitionary state at the time of writing this document. Because of this, there are 3 types of calls you may encounter:
- Element Call
- 1:1 Legacy Calls
- Group Legacy Calls
Each of these work fine on their own, but it is important to understand the difference.
Most modern clients integrating voice chat functionality are pushing towards Element Call.
If you using a public homeserver, only Element Call is relevant to you.
Element Call
Element Call is currently a new feature being developed, and it is gaining support among clients. It allows both 1 on 1 calls and group calls. It also supports seeing who is in a voice channel, similar to Discord. Screenshare is available on Element Call, however, does not currently include audio.
Audio is supported on other browser tabs if you are using Element Call from a browser. Otherwise, you can also route your audio to go through your mic if you are an advanced user.
The current list of clients that support Element Call:
- Element on PC
- Element X on Mobile
- Commet Chat
- Cinny (not currently released, but working on it)
1:1 Legacy Calls
All Matrix servers will support the 1:1 legacy call system. This allows for users to privately call another user. This does not include calls with more than 2 participants.
1:1 legacy calls do not support screenshare but do support webcam. Theoretically, you could share your screen if you turn your screen into a virtual webcam with OBS.
This section is only necessary if your homeserver does not support Element Call. If you’re on a public server, it mostly likely does support Element Call and this section does not apply to you.
Group Legacy Calls
Before Element Call existed, many Matrix clients utilized Jitsi Meet for group calls. This requires a special server setup, and you will know if you need to use group legacy calls through Jitsi.
This is more similar to a Zoom meeting than an actual group voice chat. It supports webcam and screenshare, however, lacks the full integration in Matrix that the new Element Call system provides.
This section is only necessary if your homeserver does not support Element Call. If you’re on a public server, it mostly likely does support Element Call and this section does not apply to you.
Next Steps:
If you’d like to continue learning about Matrix, check out the next recommended page: