Group calls: up to 4 people free, 6 on Kunbaa Plus Coming soon
The Sunday call with both sets of grandparents, or three siblings sorting out Diwali — private, free, and started from the chat the family already has.
Calls live in the Kunbaa mobile app, which is not in the App Store or Google Play yet. This page explains how group calls work so you know what to expect. Join the waitlist to hear when it arrives.
Starting a group call
There are two ways in, and both stay inside your family space: only relatives on Kunbaa can be on the call, and nobody hands out a phone number.
- From a family group chat. Open the group, tap the handset for voice or the camera for video, and pick up to three people from that group on the free plan, or up to five on Kunbaa Plus. They ring straight away.
- From a call you are already on. Tap Add during a one-to-one call and choose who to bring in. The call carries on; the new person joins when they answer.
A group call holds up to 4 people including you on the free plan, and up to 6 on Kunbaa Plus. Six is a deliberate size: it is what a phone on ordinary home Wi-Fi can carry with everyone’s face clear, and it fits the calls families actually make — you and both sets of parents, or the siblings and mum.
How the invite arrives
If your relative has Kunbaa open, it rings inside the app. If the app is closed, a time-sensitive notification arrives; tapping it opens the call. Group invites reach a phone as a notification rather than the full-screen lock-screen call that a one-to-one call uses, so if someone keeps notifications off for Kunbaa, their invite waits in the group chat instead — worth checking before the first big call.
On the call
With one other person, their video fills the screen and yours sits in a corner. With two others, they share a row and you are full width underneath. With three, it is a two-by-two grid with you last. Everyone’s tile carries a muted badge when their microphone is off, including your own.
Tap minimise and the call shrinks to a small tile so you can open the tree or the wall — to find the photo being argued about — and tap the tile to come back. Choose voice or video when you start; switching between the two mid-call is a one-to-one feature today.
Ending and missed calls
Leaving is always one tap, whatever else is happening. If nobody answers, the call gives up on its own after ringing for a while and leaves a line in the group chat — answered with its length, or missed — so a missed call is never lost. Tap the line to call back.
If a call won’t connect
Nine times out of ten it is a permission or a network. The checks are in Calls not connecting?, and they apply to group calls exactly as to one-to-one ones.
Questions families ask
How many people can be on a group call?
Up to 4 people including you on the free plan, and up to 6 on Kunbaa Plus, on voice or video. Six is the size a phone carries well on ordinary home Wi-Fi — both sets of parents, a sibling and you, or the siblings, mum and dad — and with five or six on the call, every camera steps down a notch so the call stays smooth.
Are group calls free?
Yes, for up to 4 people including you. Like one-to-one calls, group calls of up to 4 are free on every plan and in every country, unmetered; the 5th and 6th seat need the family to be on Kunbaa Plus. They run over the internet, so they use Wi-Fi or mobile data rather than your phone plan.
How do I start a group call?
Open a family group chat and tap the voice or video button at the top, then pick up to three people from that group on the free plan, or up to five on Kunbaa Plus. Or, while you are already on a one-to-one call, tap Add and choose who to bring in — the call carries on without hanging up.
How does a group call invite reach my relatives?
Their phone rings inside Kunbaa if it is open, and a time-sensitive notification arrives if it is closed; tapping it opens the call. Group invites come as a notification rather than the full-screen lock-screen call that a one-to-one call uses, so a relative who keeps notifications off will find the invite in the group chat instead.
Can I switch from voice to video during a group call?
Choose voice or video when you start it. Switching mid-call is a one-to-one feature today; for a group, end the voice call and start a video one from the same chat.
Can I use my phone during a group call?
Yes — tap the minimise control and the call shrinks to a small tile while you open the tree or the wall to find the photo everyone is talking about. Tap the tile to come back.
What if nobody answers?
The call gives up after ringing for a while and shows in the group chat as a missed call for the people who did not pick up, so it is never lost. Anyone can tap it to call back.
Someone can't hear or see me. What do I check?
The same checks as a one-to-one call: microphone and camera permission for Kunbaa, a network that allows internet calling, and a fresh restart of the app. Calls not connecting? has the step-by-step list.