Product Roundup: What’s new in Rocket.Chat 7.11

A command center is always buzzing with activity. Imagine a major infrastructure failure has occurred, the kind that brings multiple agencies scrambling to a virtual command center. You have analysts coordinating field teams, urgent updates coming in from every direction, and decisions need to be made in seconds. 

Rocket.Chat v7.11 delivers the architectural backbone needed to support the kind of complexity that defines day-to-day operations in mission-critical environments. 

–> Peer-to-peer voice calling connects teams instantly,
—> while the alpha release of native federation lays the groundwork for collaboration across departments, partner networks, and platforms. 

Together, they give teams the speed, reliability, and operational clarity they need to act decisively when stakes are highest.

Introducing direct peer-to-peer calls for faster decision-making

As in the command center scenario above, the margin for error is zero. You aren’t operating with minutes to spare; you’re coordinating in milliseconds. 

Such a high-pressure situation cannot afford communication that lags or goes unanswered. It requires a communication channel that is instant, reliable, fundamentally simple to use, and practical when typing isn’t an option. 

In v7.11, Rocket.Chat delivers exactly that with native voice calling. Internal calls connect peer-to-peer directly without requiring extra setup or external telephony providers. Rocket.Chat establishes that P2P connection instantly through WebRTC. It is the most direct, fastest, and the default way to communicate internally.

• Teams focused solely on internal coordination no longer face the administrative burden of assigning extensions or configuring outside providers. We’ve streamlined it to ensure there’s no complicated setup. 
• For organizations that also need to make or receive calls from the public network, SIP integration remains fully supported. You get the flexibility you need without sacrificing the speed and simplicity of peer-to-peer internal calls. 

Centralized call control and better visibility

All call logic and intel are now managed within Rocket.Chat. Our platform handles routing, presence, and user availability. Here’s what it means: 

• You will have clear visibility into the availability of your personnel. This is critical in any joint operation to ensure you connect with the right people immediately. 
• Centralized call control improves stability and connection times, ultimately giving you a comms backbone that holds up when the pressure is highest. 
• We don't just speculate on reliability; we guarantee it through practice. We rigorously dogfood our own releases. 

We ran an hour-long internal voice call to put the new architecture through its paces. It stayed steady the entire time, showing the kind of reliability you can count on when stakes are high.

A foundation for real-time communications

This architectural overhaul is not just about voice. It is a strategic foundation for our communications roadmap. It lays the groundwork for mobile voice calls, screen sharing, and support for other real-time media. With this foundation, we are prepared to support all forms of real-time communications that your mission requires. 

User experience is never an afterthought. 

• The voice call widget has been redesigned for clarity and flexibility. Users can move it anywhere on the screen to avoid interfering with dashboards or other operational tools. 
• All call states are clearly represented, and in-call actions such as answering, transferring, or ending a call are straightforward.
• Browser permissions are handled with a guided flow, so users know exactly when microphone or speaker access is required. 

Native foundation for federation communications

Organizations cannot afford to be locked into a single platform. Teams need to collaborate across agencies, departments, and partner networks without compromising security, control, or privacy. That’s what we as a company have always believed in, and attested for the fact that interoperability should be the global standard for communication. 

Rocket.Chat’s v7.11 release takes a major step in that direction with the alpha release of native federation, bringing federated communication directly into the platform. You can read the full announcement here.

A better federated architecture

Previously, federation relied on external home servers and dual databases. Even though this approach was functional, it created operational overhead and slowed performance. With native federation, Rocket.Chat begins to bring data storage, synchronization, and state resolution into the platform itself. This shift sets the stage for a more streamlined, scalable, and performant way to connect teams across federated networks.

This alpha release is built for evaluation and real-world input. You can explore how it aligns with your operational needs and help shape the path toward a fully integrated federation experience within Rocket.Chat.

Strengthening the Matrix ecosystem

Rocket.Chat remains committed to Matrix.org. Sponsoring the ecosystem allows us to support the open standard while still continuing to advance interoperability.

The combination of native federation and continued Matrix support means teams can collaborate freely, securely, and across platforms without being tied to a single vendor.

Other enhancements in v7.11

This release includes a number of fixes to improve overall stability, performance, and user experience. For a complete list of resolved issues in Rocket.Chat v7.11, check out the official release notes.

How to update your workspace to the latest Rocket.Chat version?

SaaS workspaces

The release happens automatically on our cloud, so no further action is required from your side. However, remember that updating instances might take a few weeks, so don't hesitate to contact our support team if you need to update your version sooner. 

Self-managed workspaces

Depending on the installation mode, you might need to update your server manually. Check out the documentation for instructions.