Calls VKontakte VK Calls

Main article: Types and capabilities of modern VKS systems

2023

Ability to use interface voice acting

VKontakte has presented an update to VK Calls that make them more accessible to blind users. It has become easier for people with visual impairment to log in to VKontakte, in the company's products and partner services. They got access to the main functions of video and audio calls and navigation through the sections of the mobile version of the social network. All updates have been tested by visually impaired testers.

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VK

In VK Calls, it became possible to use the voice acting of the interface - in the web version and mobile application VKontakte, as well as in a separate application VK Calls on iOS and Android. To do this, you need to enable the screen reading function in the accessibility or accessibility section in the device settings.

Thanks to the update, visually impaired users can navigate the interface and use the functions of the service. Voicing of the interface allows blind users to access the main functions of online meetings: create calls and invite other participants, control the microphone and camera, turn on the recording of the meeting, connect by link to calls from other users, schedule video meetings. People with visual impairment can send reactions using gestures, which will allow them to make the call more interactive.

Add text transcripts of appointments and automatic subtitles in real time

Additional features based on machine learning and neural networks are presented on the VK Calls video meeting platform. The decryption function automatically translates the audio track of the meeting into text, which can be found in the chat of the call after it ends. Users will also be able to launch autosubtiters - they will duplicate the speech of the call participants during the meeting. Features are available to all VK Call users. VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) announced this on August 29, 2023.

Text decryption can be enabled by any user of a group call, while the meeting participants will receive a notification about its start. After the meeting, the file with the text will come to the chat call and will be saved in a special section in the profile of the user who launched the function. Timecodes and names of speakers are automatically placed in the decryption file. Also, users will be able to turn on automatic subtitles - they will be shown during the speech of each speaker in real time. In this case, subtitles will be shown only in those participants who independently included them.

The neural network is able to identify different speakers and divide speech into sentences. Text decryption can be launched along with subtitles and call recording. Features are also available in session rooms and in calls on behalf of the community. Automatic translation of audio into text works with speech in Russian, in the future the team will add other languages. In addition, in the near future plans of the platform, the launch of new functions in one-on-one calls and the ability of the administrator to configure which of the meeting participants can launch decryption.

Translation of speech into text uses its own neural network developments on VKontakte, which the social network uses to decrypt voice messages and create autosubtiters in video. To ensure high decryption quality, the audio stream goes through several processing steps. The recording is cleared of background sounds using intelligent noise cancellation, then the neural network recognizes words, forms text from them and divides speech into sentences in accordance with a specific speaker. Neural networks are constantly improving and learning, among other things, from actual spoken language and slang.

Additional opportunities will be especially useful for those who use VK Calls for business communication - when you need to quickly decipher interviews, send key points after the meeting, or talk about the results of the call to colleagues who could not attend. Subtitles will help out in a situation where it is important to observe silence: for example, in a public place, if there are no headphones at hand. In addition, this is a step towards creating an accessible digital environment for hearing-impaired users: they will be able to participate in meetings without restrictions.

Launch of session rooms

On May 30, 2023, VK (formerly Mail.ru Group) announced that on the VK platform, Calls launches the function of session halls: during a meeting, participants can be divided into groups to work in a narrower circle. The service supports the creation of up to 50 halls in one call, and the number of participants in each hall is not limited. Dividing the call into halls will be useful for business, educational institutions and event organizers of any scale. This function, like other features of VK Calls, is available for free, and the duration of conferences with division into halls is not limited.

Session rooms are available to users of VK Calls on any device, for this you need to update to the latest version. The function can be enabled by the conference organizer when creating it, select the number of halls and set their names. You can distribute participants to the halls automatically in a random order or manually. The creator of the conference has extensive control and moderation capabilities: adding or removing participants, appointing additional administrators, attracting the attention of the participant with a request to turn on the camera or microphone and other functions. The administrator can navigate the halls, view participants, as well as their activity during the call.

When working in the halls, users have access to all the usual functions of VK Calls for video conferencing - including showing the screen, launching joint viewing, reactions, recording and broadcasting a call. Participants can ask the administrator to help through a special button, as well as communicate in a closed chat, messages from which are available only to participants in a particular hall.

{{quote 'author = said Marina Krasnova, CEO VKontakte. | The VK Calls team is working to expand functions for a business audience, and we see that the demand for the platform for such cases is growing. For example, over the past year, the average time that users spend in group meetings has grown by 17%. Now in VK Calls you can distribute conference participants by groups to solve work issues, perform training tasks, interact with the jury at competitions and festivals. Session halls will help business, educational organizations, competitions, festivals, hackathons and other mass events in their daily work,}}

{{quote 'author = added Alexander Tobol, STO VKontakte, Vice President for Technology and Development VK. | We removed the limit on the number of participants in one call, and now we make it possible to hold large-scale conferences, dividing users into separate streams. Participants will be able to view any content together, share opinions using a set of reactions, voice or text in a closed chat. It is not necessary to have a VKontakte account to participate. We continue to work on platform stability: we have added an improved algorithm to determine bandwidth, for some versions we have implemented support for hardware acceleration, which helps reduce the load on the device and improve video quality. Continue to expand the Business Call VK functionality to cover even more use cases,}}

The VK Calls team will continue to expand the possibilities of session rooms. With the following updates, a timer will appear: the organizer will be able to limit the time spent working in groups and automatically close the halls. In addition, administrators will be able to limit the exit from the halls until the end of work - for example, for exams, as well as write simultaneously to all conference participants. In the web version, you can already download a list of call participants in order to quickly analyze the composition of large conferences. In the future, the feature will appear on other platforms.

2022

Add animated vmoji

Vkontakte December 23, 2022 introduced animated vmoji: VK Call users will be able to connect to meetings with personal avatars, not including videos with. cameras Avatars support head movement, mouth animation when talking and eye blinking - the technology reads voice the stream and adjusts the character's movements to the user's speech. The function will help you add interactive to the call and keep private when users do not turn on the camera, but want to indicate their active presence. Personal avatar technology is VKontakte's own development.

This feature will gradually become available on all platforms. The technology uses a neural network that in real time turns the speaker's speech into the corresponding lip movements. The team added an animation of virtual avatars, which allowed the use of a huge variety of elements of the appearance of vmoji in VK Calls. The presence in a call with your virtual avatar helps to revive the conference, adds a personal component, while maintaining privacy. Animated avatars can be used in personal and group meetings for any number of participants - they can be enabled in the call or camera settings in the VK Calls mobile and desktop application and in the VKontakte application. In the web version, users will be able to see vmoji interlocutors, later a demonstration of their character will appear.

{{quote 'author = said Marina Krasnova, CEO VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls. | With vmoji digital avatars, we expand the ability to personalize online communication and erase barriers between users. We have all been in a situation where during the conference no one turns on the camera and has to communicate with a dark screen, which may be uncomfortable. Now, in such cases, you can turn on the display of your animated character, thereby preserving privacy and adding interactive to communication, making it much more fun. We are proud that we launched such mechanics - you can use personal customized avatars for video communication without having to turn on the camera. We are already working on pumping characters, soon their movements will become even smoother and more realistic,}}

{{quote 'author = noted Alexander Tobol, STO VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls. | To create personal avatars, our model, right on the speaker's device, calculates the key points of the vmoji animation that correspond to speech. And generative models of VKontakte make it possible to simulate a character that is as similar as possible to the person depicted in the photo. The capabilities of digital avatars are constantly growing, the character can be customized and individual elements can be customized manually to suit the mood - choose a hairstyle, clothes or accessories. All changes will automatically appear in the animated character in VK Calls. Thanks to our technologies, more than 8 million users already prefer to use vmoji digital avatars for communication and expression in the digital space,}}

Launch Video Content Sharing

VKontakte launched a joint viewing of video content in VK Calls - with real-time reactions and without restrictions on the number of viewers. Users will be able to watch videos together and share reactions with interlocutors during video conferencing on the VK Calls platform, even if they are in different places. Vkontakte announced this on December 22, 2022.

Any content posted on VK is available for viewing Video: movies, TV shows, shows, videos of bloggers and users. You can share your opinion about content using a set of reactions, as well as text in a chat or voice in a call. Features are available for any conference, from one-on-one calls to large-scale meetings held by users, event organizers, companies and communities.

You can switch to co-viewing mode from any video conference, just click "Watch Here" and select from the Videos uploaded to the VK platform, including professional licensed content. Users can include their added or uploaded videos, find the desired video in the search bar or by clicking on a link, select content in the recommendation window. Live streams are also available for co-viewing.

The sound and picture will adapt to the device and the Internet speed of each participant in the call - it will be possible to watch the video in good quality without loss and delay. The user and the call administrator who launched the video can control the content - pause and restart, rewind, adjust the volume and turn off the video. The shared viewing function appeared on all platforms and in any VK Calls applications, as well as in the main VKontakte application and the web version vk.com. These functions will be available to iOS users in the near future.

Users will be able to discuss content with their voice right while watching, and if you do not want to distract others, write a message in the chat of the call or send reactions that are displayed on the participants' screens for 10 seconds. Reactions are also available to users in ordinary conferences: they will help to quickly express emotion if you do not want to make noise or interrupt the speaker.

Marina Krasnova, CEO VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls noted: "Video conferences have fully entered our lives, and not only in workflows, but also in personal communication. We are pleased to present a tool that will help unite users, spend time with family and friends, diversify leisure and share impressions even at a distance. VK Calls erase barriers and offer updated consumption formats for a wide variety of content: from films and streams of bloggers to sports broadcasts and business materials of a wide profile. This expands the possibilities of synchronized content display during calls and takes to a new level the presentation or joint discussion of plans and results in video format. "

Alexander Tobol, CTO VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls comments: "VK Calls were among the first to integrate the technology of simultaneous joint viewing into the video conferencing platform. With playback synchronization and extensive conference management capabilities, all participants can watch and listen to the same content at the same time. The functionality of VK Calls will help to expand user scenarios when organizing events, in business, educational, e-commerce and other areas. Features for call management, intelligent noise cancellation, no time and number of participants allow you to conduct both personal calls and large-scale interactive online events. "

Watching together will help when users are in different places, but want to spend time with loved ones for their favorite film or TV show. Schools or educational courses will be able to display educational videos for students in VK Calls, and business will be able to conduct product presentations or jointly discuss the launch of advertising campaigns. Film studios will have the opportunity to hold closed screenings of premieres of new series and films, and musicians - new clips for their fans. The function can be useful for sports broadcasts, it will be possible to gather fans for a large sports event right in VK Calls.

Presentation of the beta version of the application for negotiations

VK Calls presented a beta version of the application for conversations. Video conferencing platform VK Calls can be used for communication in meeting rooms and conference rooms. The beta version of the application can be downloaded from the official website of the service and installed on compatible professional equipment for video conferencing. This was announced on September 13, 2022 by VKontakte.

For September 2022, the application supports devices with OCWindows 7 and higher, but will appear on other platforms in the future. Video conferencing can be controlled using an interface that supports multitouch technology.

VK Calls for negotiators are free and support all the main tools of business communication, including the creation and holding of unlimited meetings, joint viewing of content in the 4K, control of the call from the controller and others. Users can be in the same room and connect to the call remotely via a link or QR code from any device. Minimum requirements for meeting rooms include a Windows-based computer or tablet, as well as an active VK ID account . You can also connect additional equipment to the device: a TV or projector, speakers, cameras and microphones.

The updated version of VK Calls is suitable for any workspace, including conference rooms and meeting rooms of any size and layout, home offices, classrooms. The platform team invites system administrators and enthusiasts to test the conference room application on their devices. To get a distribution kit for installation and advice on configuring the application on various devices, you need to submit an application through the form.

We continue to develop VK Calls with a focus on the business communication segment and want to simplify business communication for millions of users. The application will allow our users from the corporate segment to conduct video conferences using professional equipment for conversations. The market is experiencing a need for convenient solutions with familiar functionality and without any restrictions. We see the demand for such tools from small and medium-sized businesses, self-employed, various schools and online courses and therefore release the beta version of VK Calls for negotiation rooms, reported by Alexander Tobol, STO VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls

Ability to automate the creation of online meetings through the public API "VKontakte"

Developers of web services, mobile applications and VK Mini Apps will be able to automate the creation of online meetings in VK Calls and manage them through the VKontakte public API. This was announced by VKontakte on July 8, 2022. Read more here.

Launch a mobile application for unlimited video conferencing

On April 15, 2022, VKontakte announced that the VK Calls unlimited video conferencing platform presented an application for mobile devices on iOS and Android, as well as a separate web version for computers. The application allows you to quickly access the main functions of video communication: it supports conversations without restrictions on the time and number of participants. The VK Calls platform is now available on all devices and platforms.

With the help of the presented application, the VK Calls platform responds to requests from users who prefer individual applications for different scenarios. The company takes into account the wishes of users, so it continues to develop services to make them more convenient. So, the team has planned to introduce several more functions into the VK Calls application, which will become available in the near future. Some of them are already in development, others will be implemented taking into account wishes and feedback, as well as based on the results of studies using the functionality of the application.

Together with the application, there is also a web version that supports all the key functions of video conferencing: screen display in 4K, noise cancellation, virtual backgrounds and much more. Current versions of "VK Calls" simplify access to all platform capabilities for personal and professional video communication. You can connect to the call without an account on the social network, which gives ample opportunities for business communication. The creators of the application plan to investigate the features of its use and refine it taking into account the wishes of users.

The application expands the possibilities for organizers of online events: from forums and conferences to webinars and corporate meetings for thousands of employees. The call planning function will soon appear on the platform - you can create a conference in advance, put a reminder in the calendar and send a link to participants by mail or in any messenger. You can quickly add people from the contact list to the call, and you can organize an appointment both from your personal page and on behalf of the community. Participants in the call can exchange useful files in a separate chat, which remains available even after the end of the conference.

The architecture of the VK Calls application is optimized so that you can communicate with each other even faster, and the call quality remained high even with an unstable connection. With the help of its own technological solutions, the VK Calls team managed to optimize the load on user devices and reduce traffic consumption.

"We analyzed different use cases for communication products and concluded that some users prefer to separate the streams of information and solve different problems in individual applications. We respond to the audience's request and provide a tool with a focus on video communication - both business and personal format. With a separate application, we remove any barriers to the communication of our users, making it easier to access "VK Calls." Most prefer to conduct group calls where you can gather the largest number of friends and colleagues, and our application copes with this task, "- says Marina Krasnova, CEO "VKontakte," "VK Video" and "VK Calls."

The VK Calls application, according to the company, is already available in device stores on iOS and Android. The platform also has versions for computers running Windows, macOS and Linux.

Earlier, VKontakte launched an automatic number determiner based on intellectual algorithms and. Big Data Social network began to warn about unwanted phone calls to protect users from, spam attempts frauds and other dubious calls. The automatic number determination service was developed by the VK Calls team - the platform strengthens the security of communication and expands it beyond the social network.

2021

Optimizing AR Background Replacement Technology

On December 7, 2021, VKontakte announced that it had optimized AR-technology for replacing the background of the VK Calls platform - thanks to its own developments, virtual backgrounds appeared in the web version of the service. The technology includes a lighter neural network segmentation model and fast texture rendering algorithms that allow you to replace the background during a call in real time on any device, now in the browser. For the launch, Little Big, Cream Soda, Klava Coca and other stars presented their virtual backgrounds - the backgrounds are available in the VKontakte mobile application, the web version of the social network and in a separate desktop application "VK Calls." Also, users can download their personal backgrounds, which will be synchronized on all devices.

In optimized AR background replacement technology for the web version, a low-level implementation of the segmentation model finds a person in the frame and builds its exact and smooth outline. The innovation is that all calculations are performed in a parallel stream so that the use of a virtual background does not affect the speed of VKontakte and neighboring browser tabs.

Now, in the web version of "VK Calls," the speaker can calmly move during the call and not worry that the interlocutors will notice the situation behind him. The virtual background also helps to create the right mood: for example, feel more confident during a working discussion. And event organizers can install the brand logo on the background to remember the audience.

"With the help of" VK Calls "every month over 20 million people solve different problems: discuss work issues with colleagues, study, communicate with friends, hold events for thousands of participants. We are constantly developing the platform, creating and optimizing our technologies to ensure that video calls work on any device. The updated AR-technology for replacing backgrounds during a call will provide high image quality with low load on the user's device, including in the web version of the service, "- says Alexander Tobol, technical director of VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls.

Earlier, "VK Calls" removed the limit on the number of participants in the video call. Each of them can turn on the camera and microphone and communicate without time limits. This was made possible by the implementation of a proprietary scale-up call technology. And for users of the social network "VKontakte" a separate section "Calls" has become available. In it, you can create a call with access to the link, view the history of calls, including missed ones, join current conferences, or quickly contact friends from the contact list.

Add Technology with Unlimited Video Call Participants

VK Calls on November 24, 2021 presented technology with an unlimited number of video call participants - there are no restrictions on turning on the video camera, microphone or call duration. This was made possible by the implementation of a proprietary scale-up call technology. Another change for users social network Vkontakte was a separate section "Calls" for creating a call by link, viewing call history, connecting to currently ongoing video and audio conferences.

Group video calls that are unlimited in number of participants will be able to evaluate the organizers of online events: from large-scale information, educational forums and conferences to fan meetings with artists, webinars and working meetings with all employees. The update is available in the web version, mobile applications of the VKontakte social network, in a separate desktop application VK Calls, as well as in all VK products and partner resources that connected the technology through the VK SDK Calls after updating the version.

To quickly access the creation of a VKontakte call, the "Calls" section appeared. In it, you can create a call with access to an unlimited number of participants, view the history of calls, including missed ones, join current conferences, or quickly contact friends from the contact list - they have the opportunity to call both from their personal page and on behalf of the community. The "Calls" section is already available in the web version of VKontakte and in the mobile application for Android, and soon for iOS.

VK Calls has all the tools for managing and moderating large calls: to ensure comfortable conduct of the event, conference administrators can turn off the microphones of all participants and adjust the rules for their inclusion, providing a word when the participant uses the "Raise hand" function.

Neutralizing all extraneous noise against the background during a call is helped by its own intelligent noise cancellation technology - it is active even with a weak and unstable Internet connection. The "Waiting Room" function helps to ensure the privacy of the call: you will be able to enter the conference only after the organizer approves the application. At the same time, you can join the conversation anonymously without a profile on the VKontakte social network. Other features of VK Calls include broadcasting the call to a personal page or community, recording it, and additional tools for administering the call.

{{quote 'author = said Alexander Tobol, CTO of VKontakte, VK Video and VK Calls. |

We see a high interest of our users in video calls: the monthly audience of the group video call platform for November 2021 is 20 million. To repeatedly expand the scope of calls, we got rid of all restrictions - including the number of videoconference participants, now an infinite number of people can fully communicate in one call. To do this, we completely rebuilt the platform architecture and learned how to scale the call to any number of servers, as well as implemented solutions for server video transcoding and our own noise reduction and audio processing technologies. These and other deep optimizations saved up to 60% of Internet traffic for our users, reduced device load and reduced battery consumption by 20%, and improved communication quality.

Now the organizers of online conferences will be able to implement all the tasks - from combining a large-scale number of participants in the call, moderating speakers and demonstrating materials to live broadcasting and recording the event,}}

SDK VK Calls for IT Service Developers

On October 7, 2021, the company Vkontakte provided access videoconferences to the VK Calls technology to developers - most of the VK Calls functions can be integrated into their products. VK Calls are available for embedding through (SDK development kit software) under the web platform,, and using iOS Android a single cloud infrastructure call platform. Mail.ru Group

As reported, VKontakte has combined its own technologies for implementing group video calls into a ready-made set of software development tools. With its help, a third-party IT service will be able to integrate most of the VK Calls capabilities that are used on the social network into its products. To implement video or audio calls, developers have the opportunity to use the cloud infrastructure of a single VK Calls platform - this will automatically scale the service and cope with the load with the growing popularity of the created product.

Integration of the VK Calls library allows developers and business representatives to create their own voice and video calls in web, Android and iOS applications and provides access to most of the functions available to VKontakte users:

• up to 2048 participants in a video call - you can organize large-scale online events and meetings for thousands of company employees;
• time is not limited - you can hold a meeting of any duration, regardless of the number of participants in the call;
• recording a video call - the ability to share lecture materials or return to the details of the workshop;
• Display the screen in 4K resolution - You can show the entire work screen or a specific application of the correct quality.
• wide administrator rights - the administrator can manage the composition of participants and their capabilities during group calls, allow connection to the call by link, pin the video of the key speaker on the main screen, turn off microphones and cameras, transfer administrator rights to other participants in the call, as well as turn on the "waiting room" mode to control participants joining the call by link;
• connecting by link without registration and profile - you can join the call without a registered account and by link, but only after the organizer approves the application in the "waiting room";
• secure calls - for one-on-one calls, the library allows end-to-end encryption and validation of information confidentiality, for group calls - to transmit all data over the network in encrypted form using the DTLS protocol.

SDK VK Calls along with video and audio sound technology will allow you to use other company's own technologies: access to geodistributed infrastructure, as well as server solutions for a single video and audio sound platform for sound processing and adaptive video encoding. They reduce the load on user devices and ensure uninterrupted communication even in conditions of a weak network.

For VK Calls, our technical team has developed and implemented a number of solutions: intelligent noise cancellation, screen demonstration with frame rate adaptation without reducing image quality, scalable architecture for an unlimited number of participants, optimization of video coding to save user resources and Internet traffic. told Alexander Tobol, technical director of VKontakte and the unified video and call platform Mail.ru Group

Launch a desktop application

On August 25, 2021, VKontakte introduced a desktop application for video calls for 2048 people and announced an unlimited number of participants.

The VKontakte Calls application for computers with Windows, macOS and Linux will allow you to unite up to 2048 people in a call without a time limit - including those who use the web version and the VKontakte mobile application.

The Vkontakte Calls application will provide desktop users with a different experience of interaction. Higher audio and video quality, as well as communication stability, are ensured by optimizing the load and using the native capabilities of operating systems. All this is possible thanks to the team's own solutions and the absence of a number of technical restrictions that are in browsers.

Among the developments available only in VKontakte calls: demonstration of the screen in 4K resolution. The company has achieved high image quality thanks to its own developments. Also, all call participants who connected from the presented application for desktops can install AR backgrounds: they were created on the basis of the AR platform previously announced in VKontakte Clips.

Special attention in VKontakte calls was paid to the development and update of intelligent noise cancellation technology. Now, during a call through the application from a computer, you can neutralize all extraneous noise against the background, providing the interlocutors with a comfortable audio feed from the speaker. Previously, the technology was available only in the VKontakte mobile application.

With the help of machine learning technologies, it was possible to further optimize the load on user devices and their traffic consumption during a call: only human speech is transmitted over the network without extraneous noise. This is relevant during calls on an unstable or weak Internet network.

The application will help to hold mass events: large-scale educational forums, meetings of popular authors with fans, working meetings, when you need to gather thousands of employees. For this, there are all the necessary tools: you can join the conversation anonymously without a profile on the social network, you can broadcast the call to your personal page or to the community and record it, as well as the ability to administer the call.

You can collect participants not only by link, but also using the usual outgoing and incoming calls. The user can call any person from the list of friends or shared chats - an incoming call will appear on the screen of a computer or mobile application, and the invited participant will be able to connect to the conversation.

To ensure the privacy of the call, the "Waiting Room" function appeared: a person will join the conversation only after the organizer approves his application. The "waiting room" will complement the already large set of tools for managing the participants in the call. For silence during the conference, administrators just need to turn off the microphones of all participants and choose whether they can turn them back on. If the participant wants to ask a question, he will be able to write it in a chat or "raise his hand" - then the organizer will provide an opportunity to speak.

Feeling comfortable even when a video call is taken by surprise, the "Facial Features Improvement" option will help: real-time filters align skin tone and make facial outlines more expressive - thanks to computer vision technologies.

{{quote 'author = said Alexander Tobol, CTO of VKontakte and Mail.ru Group's unified video and call platform. |

We continue to improve video communication technologies to provide all VKontakte users with online communication opportunities without any restrictions. To do this, we completely rebuilt the architecture of the video calling platform and implemented a different approach in working with video and audio streams: we learned to scale the call to any number of servers and consume a minimum of resources - both server and client. Among the changes are functions for both participants and call organizers: their own technology for showing the screen in ultra-high 4K quality, updated intelligent noise cancellation and a waiting room for managing the composition of participants. Very soon we will introduce other ways of social communication - access to content and joint consumption during an online call. The main thing for us is to provide people with any devices and Internet connection with a high-tech, high-quality and absolutely free product,}}