Curse voice app adds video calls and screen sharing

Amazon’s Twitch game-livestreaming division acquired voice chat firm Curse back in August. Now Curse is launching a major update for its voice-over-internet-protocol app with video calls and screen sharing.

These features have been the most requested by streamers, according to Twitch. Earlier at TwitchCon 2016 in September, the company said that users would be able to synchronize their Twitch and Curse accounts to get extra perks.

Curse is now bringing the features to its platform so that users can have the best VOIP experience possible.

Curse’s video calls let users chat with up to four others face-to-face within the app, which makes the streaming of gaming sessions with friends more interactive and fun. Users can also share their screen and give others in the call a glimpse at what they’re looking at.

Curse has enabled video calls with up to four friends.
Curse has enabled video calls with up to four friends.

Curse said it has also made its app more secure. Video calls and screen sharing will be facilitated with a client-to-server connection versus peer-to-peer connections. The latter often exposes users to security vulnerability. This means streamers can interact with their subscribers in a safe environment without fear of their internet protocol addresses being compromised. (Discord, a rival voice app, also has this feature).

After a video call, feedback and suggestions can be submitted within the app or on Twitter. There is also a Curse server where users can reach out directly to Curse’s development team and a knowledge base packed full of helpful information.

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat at VentureBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.