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Group calls (audio / video / screen sharing)

5 min read  •  August 10, 2020

Ding-a-ling - the group calls for Stackfield are here!

As you might have noticed, we have included a new feature to Stackfield: the Group calls! We've moved the audio and video conferencing to the top of the priority list to make it as easy as possible for our users to work in their home offices and with dispersed teams.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about the new feature.

Find a detailed step-by-step guide through all phone functions in our knowledge center.

The most important in a nutshell

  • Group calls can be initiated via the Direct Messages or via Events .
  • Conference calls are available for groups of up to 10 people. Simply put: If there are more than 10 people in a group chat, it is not possible to start a group call.
  • Group calls offer three different connection modes: audio only, video and screen sharing.
  • This feature is available to organizations with Premium or Enterprise plan subscriptions.
  • Start group calls in Stackfield easily via the Direct Messages or right within your scheduled events

    Starting a group call in the Direct Messages (group chat)

    As with "ordinary" audio and video calls between two conversation partners - these have been available on Stackfield for some time now - group calls can also be initiated via Direct Messages, more specifically via group chats.

    Open the group chat with whose members you want to make a group call. If you don't already have a group chat that contains the members you want to add, you can easily create a new group chat by clicking the plus icon (in the sidebar to the right of Direct Messages) and add the respective group members.

    Creating a group chat

    Just like you are used to in private chats between two people, you will find three more icons in the upper right corner of the group chat to start an audio call (phone icon), a video call (camera icon) or screen sharing (screen icon).

    Telephony symbols within group chat

    Start a group call from an event

    In order to be able to connect to participants of the same event as quickly and easily as possible, group calls can also be started using the event created on Stackfield itself.

    Open the corresponding event and click on the phone icon. The dropdown menu that appears below gives you the option to choose between Audio Call, Video Call and Screen Sharing.

    Starting a group call via an event

    Connection setup for group calls

    As soon as you have started a group call, a small dialog box (if chosen also with a video/screenshot display) will appear for the caller, listing all invited participants. Members who have joined the conference call appear in the upper part of the dialog box. Members who have not yet joined the conference call are listed underneath the "Not in this call" item.

    Dialog when starting a group call

    For all call recipients, a small dialog box initially appears that informs about the incoming audio or video call. At this point there is the possibility to accept or reject the call. As soon as the user accepts the call, he or she will be shown the same view as the caller.

    Note: If the call was initiated as a video call or with screen transmission, the call recipient can choose which transmission mode he or she wants to join. If, on the other hand, an audio conference was initiated, the call recipient can only join with audio transmission.

    Dialog: Incoming group call

    Group call transfer

    Switch seamlessly between audio, video and screen transmission

    During the group call, each user has the possibility to change the transmission form. If a video call or screen transmission has been started, participants can continuously activate and deactivate their camera or switch the screen off and on. For all calls, you can turn the microphone on and off just as you like. Three icons are available for this purposes in the lower part of the dialog (Phone, Camera and Screen).

    Changing transmission

    Members who have switched off their microphone will be displayed with a crossed-out microphone icon to other participants of the conversation.

    Please note that you cannot switch to video or screen sharing mode when initiating a normal audio conference call. This is because the audio call transfer is peer-to-peer while video and screen transfers are routed through Stackfield's servers.

    Use different views for video transmission

    If the call is a video call, the video transmission windows initially appear one below the other in the dialog box. Double-clicking it expands the view to the entire screen. You can choose between two display options (via the tile icon top right), where either…

    a) one participant is highlighted (larger) or…

    Video group call: one member is highlighted

    b) all participants are displayed in the same size.

    Video group call: same size for members

    In the first option, double-clicking on the person in question determines who should be highlighted.

    Use screen sharing to discuss your work with your team

    The screen sharing feature helps you whenever you want to discuss important issues with your team. Click the "Screen" icon to share your current screen (or only one window) with everyone in the conversation.

    Choosing screen sharing

    They can double-click to view your screen in full size, and downsize it again when necessary.

    View outside the transmission / join the conference subsequently

    Members in the group chat who had to reject the call or who were not active in Stackfield at the beginning of the conference call and therefore could not answer the call are informed of the existing group call.

    Notifications about this appear...

    1. in the sidebar (red notification and microphone icon next to the corresponding group chat)
    2. Group call notification sidebar
    3. in "My Week" ("There is currently a group call in group chat "XYZ".")
    4. Group call notification weekly view
    5. in the "Group chat" / in the room where the call is taking place ("A conference call is currently running in this room." Participate now)
    6. Group call notification within room

    Note: You can choose to join via audio or video in the dialog box. However, anyone who joins the conference call later (e.g. via the notification about the existing conference in the weekly overview, i.e. not via the dialog box) joins in the form in which the group call was originally started.

    Security

    As in all areas, we have paid great attention to providing the highest possible security standards when implementing the group call function. The transmission of all calls is based on the WebRTC standard and is securely transport encrypted. In most cases - i.e. for direct calls (audio, video, screen sharing) and audio group calls - the transmission takes place peer-to-peer (from end device to end device), whereby end-to-end encryption can also be guaranteed. You can find out more details under: hhttps://www.stackfield.com/help/security-telephony-2042

    With the integration of group calls, we hope we can make the cooperation and communication between you and your team even more pleasant. Have fun trying out the new function together with your entire team!

    This article was created for general information purposes. It does not represent a binding commitment to the availability and scope of the functions mentioned. Both can be limited depending on the user role and the plan booked, so you should not rely solely on the information on this page when making a purchase decision. The nature and extent of development and the release of features are entirely at Stackfield's discretion. We reserve the right to make changes. For more information on new features, please visit our Learning Center and Pricing page. If you still have questions, please contact our support team. We will be happy to help.

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    Lena Wimmer
    About the Author:
    Lena Wimmer is Product Marketing Manager at Stackfield. She is passionate about American literary history, great content and cinematography.
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