2025-05-09 03:52:52
Introducing Telegram’s second major update in just 8 days! You can now safely buy or sell collectible gifts in the new marketplace. The story editor lets you post multiple stories at once or split long videos into several stories. Channels can enable auto-translation so everyone sees posts in their language. We've also made it easier for channels to unlock new features with boosts.
Telegram introduced collectible gifts in January, and they became an instant hit — some collections sold out in minutes. Ever since, users have been asking for more gifts.
Starting today, you can use Telegram Stars to buy thousands of rare gifts from other users in a safe, easy-to-use gift marketplace. It not only expands the selection but also lets you sell your own gifts to earn Stars for new ones.
Advanced search filters make it easy to find exactly what you're looking for, such as a specific model, backdrop or symbol.
To send a gift, open any user's profile and tap the 'Send a Gift' button. Use the 'Resale' filter if you want to buy rare upgraded collectibles.
To sell a collectible gift, open it on your profile, tap the 'Sell' button and set your price in Stars.
Once listed, the gift appears in the marketplace and gets a 'Sale' label on your profile — so friends and followers know it’s available.
If you change your mind, tap the 'Unlist' button to cancel your listing.
The story editor now lets you select and post multiple photos or videos in one go — perfect for trip highlights or meme dumps.
If your video is over 60 seconds, the editor will automatically split it into clips to post as a series of stories.
All Telegram users can translate messages — and Premium users can auto-translate entire chats.
Now, channel owners can enable auto-translation for all users. When it's on, visitors see messages in their preferred language, helping creators reach a global audience.
Tap the translation bar at the top of the channel anytime to switch back to the original text.
Channels unlock features by leveling up with boosts. This update lowers the boost requirements — so perks like auto-translation are easier to reach.
That’s all for today — have fun in the marketplace while we make our developers switch from hunting rare gifts to building new features.
May 8, 2025
The Telegram Team
2025-05-01 05:39:42
Today’s update introduces extra-secure, easy-to-use group calls. We’re also rolling out a major upgrade that enables full automation for Telegram Business accounts, new options for gift users, a simpler way to appeal account restrictions — and more.
Telegram first introduced group calls in 2021, bringing powerful video chats for groups and live streams for channels.
Now, you can start an end-to-end encrypted conference call without creating a group chat — ideal for spontaneous meetings with coworkers or catching up with friends and family.
With our upgraded group calls, you can:
Group calls are secured with end-to-end encryption. Participants can confirm this by comparing the 4 emojis shown on their screens — if they all match, the call is fully secure.
In addition, group calls use blockchain-like technology to ensure that, unlike in other apps, no one — not even Telegram — can secretly join as a listener.
We welcome security researchers to study the detailed documentation and open source code that powers the new group calls. For more than 10 years, Telegram has offered over $100,000 to anyone who could crack its encryption protocol — and no one has ever succeeded.
You can send your call link to others — even via email or other apps — so they can join the call when they're ready. It's perfect for scheduling group calls in advance or letting friends join at their convenience.
From the link menu, you can also generate a QR code for others to scan. Just tap the button and choose Get QR Code.
Telegram Business (Telegram Premium) users can add third-party chatbots — including AI-powered ones — to automatically manage messages. This update introduces over 10 new features, enabling businesses to fully automate their messaging, profile, transactions, and stories.
You can control permissions for third-party chatbots using streamlined settings like 'Manage Messages' or 'Manage Profile', with individual toggles for specific actions — such as deleting messages, editing profile photos, posting stories, and more.
Telegram Business is included for all Premium subscribers. To add a chatbot and manage its permissions, go to Settings > Telegram Business > Chatbots. Information for chatbot developers is available on this page.
In October, we introduced Telegram Gifts which you can send with Stars and upgrade to collectibles, unlocking unique styles and making them tradeable on the blockchain. Telegram users already exchange over 10 million gifts per month.
If you like sending and receiving gifts, you can add a 'Gift' button to the input field — both for you and your chat partners 
.
You can now also choose which gifts are displayed on your profile. For example, if you want gifts from your contacts or certain friends to become visible automatically.
Premium users are able to select which gift types other users can send them. For example, popular accounts that turn on Star Messages can now choose to accept only 'Unique' or 'Limited-Edition' gifts — to make their inboxes even more manageable.
To add the 'Gift' button, control which gifts are shown on your profile or choose which gifts you accept, go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Gifts.
You can also manage gifts on a one-by-one basis by going to Settings > My Profile and switching to the Gifts Tab. Tapping a gift lets you:
To send a gift, open any user's profile and tap the 'Send Gift' button.
Thanks to robust moderation tools and user reports, people who attempt to send scam or spam messages on Telegram are quickly detected and banned. While these systems have an extremely low error rate, users are now able to appeal their ban from inside Telegram in case of a mistake.
Rather than being immediately logged out, banned violators will have a frozen account — where they cannot contact other users, but are able to submit an appeal for our moderators to review. If successful, the account will be unfrozen and its restrictions will be lifted.
When an unknown user messages you for the first time, you can tap at the top of the chat to instantly block them and report their messages to moderators.
Both iOS and Android have a new gesture to quickly forward channel posts to your Saved Messages or recent contacts — in just one tap. Simply hold down on the share arrow, drag your finger to the chat where you want to forward the message, and release.
For iOS users specifically, there's now an extra gesture to add a story. While browsing recent stories at the top of the chat list, you can pull right on the list of stories to instantly open the story editor and make a new post.
On iOS, swiping right on the main chat list itself also opens the story editor.
That's all for today. Enjoy these new features while we call in our developers to make more.
April 30, 2025
The Telegram Team
2025-03-07 21:16:57
Today’s update gives content creators and public figures more control over their privacy while offering new ways to monetize their popularity. Now you can filter incoming messages, protect your peace of mind, and earn Telegram Stars — all while staying connected with your audience.
This update also introduces an info page for new chats to prevent scams, the option to buy Telegram Premium with Stars, and Verification Platform 2.0, helping startups save on user verification — plus much more!
If you receive a high volume of messages, you can now set a fee for incoming messages from users outside your contacts. This ensures that only those who truly value your time can reach you — giving you full control over your inbox while allowing you to earn Stars for your attention.
With this feature, you can:
This setting can also be applied to group chats and channel discussions to keep interactions focused and free from spam, helping group owners monetize their community and earn Stars from meaningful conversations.
Star Messages come with customizable settings — you can allow certain users or members of specific groups to message you for free. And if you ever need to make an exception after a message is sent, you can instantly refund the Stars with a single tap.
• In private chats: Ensure you have Telegram Premium, then go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Messages.
• In groups: Enable 'Charge Stars for Messages' in the Permissions section.
Take control of your messages, protect your time, and turn your popularity into an opportunity — all while keeping your inbox safe and manageable!
Now, when someone outside your contacts messages you for the first time, you’ll see a detailed info page that helps you spot scams, avoid impersonators, and verify who you're talking to — before you even reply.
This page gives you essential insights about the sender, including:
With this new feature, you’re in control of who gets your attention — no more second-guessing unknown senders or falling for impersonators. Whether you're chatting with a potential collaborator, a fan, or a new friend, you’ll have the info you need to decide whether to engage — effortlessly and with confidence.
Now you can turn your Telegram Stars into Premium perks. Use your balance to subscribe to Telegram Premium or gift Premium to friends — all without spending extra money.
Earned Stars from Star Messages? Let them cover your Premium subscription each month — effortlessly!
Enjoy exclusive features, faster downloads, custom emoji, and more — all powered by your Stars!
Users and groups that earn Telegram Stars through Star Messages can withdraw these Stars via Fragment, converting Stars into valuable rewards. These rewards can be instantly used to purchase Telegram Ads, collectibles on the TON blockchain and more.
For operational reasons, Stars can be withdrawn 21 days after they are earned.
Group owners who receive Stars from Star Messages can now view and manage their group’s Star balance directly from the group’s profile, making it easier to track and utilize earned Stars.
In addition to wearing your favorite gift, you can now pin up to 6 other gifts to showcase them both on your gifts tab and on your profile cover.
You can view, sort and pin your gifts in Settings > My Profile > Gifts.
Android users can now cast videos straight to their Chromecast devices — whether you're watching memes with friends or presenting important content in a meeting, enjoy it all on the big screen!
How to cast: Open a video, tap the Settings icon, and select Chromecast.
Telegram Gateway is a cost-effective and privacy-focused solution for user authentication, allowing businesses to verify their customers’ phone numbers through Telegram at a fraction of traditional SMS costs.
Telegram’s Verification Platform was already 9x cheaper than other services, and now it’s 20% more cost-effective! Today's update lets developers set a max delivery time — if a code isn’t delivered within the window, it’s automatically refunded.
SMS verification elsewhere can cost $0.50 or more per message, while Telegram Gateway offers authentication for just $0.01.
It’s completely free to test — letting startups cut unnecessary costs and focus on building great products. Learn more in our detailed guide and start saving today!
That's all for today, we're just warming up for Telegram's spring updates.
March 7, 2025,
The Telegram Team
2025-02-12 21:21:32
Today's update lets you search millions of stickers with AI, copy video links at the current time, set cover photos for videos, react with Stars as your channel, browse similar bots — and more.
In December, we added AI-powered search for over 40,000 stickers and emoji from Telegram's official packs.
With this update, the AI model now returns results from millions of custom stickers and emoji uploaded by Telegram users. Try searching for complex keywords like thinking monkey or space dog – the sticker panel will instantly return exactly what you're looking for.
Any Telegram user can make their own stickers or emoji in just a few simple steps.
Since 2019, captions and replies to video messages have supported timestamps like 1:38 to highlight funny moments or direct viewers to certain sections.
When sharing a link to a video on Telegram in chats or on other platforms, you can now include the current timestamp in the link. When someone taps on the link, it will open the video in Telegram to that exact moment.
To share a link to a video, tap the share arrow in the video player. It will automatically give you the option to include the current time in the link.
Like videos you add to your story, you can now choose a frame to use as a cover photo for videos you post in channels. To create exciting thumbnails, use the video editor to add text, stickers, emoji and more before selecting a cover.
To select a video cover, tap the three-dot icon in the top corner of the video editor and select 'Edit Cover'.
Videos you watch now automatically save your progress — so you can take a break at any time and return exactly where you left off.
All videos on Telegram support picture-in-picture playback so you can keep watching while you reply to messages and browse other chats.
Users can support content creators with Stars by sending the Star reaction to their channel posts. To provide greater privacy and allow content creators to promote their channel in the leaderboard, users can now react with Stars as one of their channels.
Star reactions have always supported anonymous mode — allowing users to hide their name from the leaderboard.
Like with channels, on bot profiles you can now see a list of similar bots — to help you find other popular services, utilities and games.
That's all for Telegram's third update of the year. We're making features to keep warm, so expect more soon!
February 12, 2025
The Telegram Team
2025-01-25 07:38:24
Today's update adds 6 new features to Telegram, including the ability to wear collectible gifts as an emoji status, move gifts to the blockchain, send gifts to channels — and more.
Gifts that you upgrade to collectibles can now be used as a unique emoji status.
Using a gift as your status gives it a glittering star effect and changes the appearance of your profile to match the backdrop and symbol from your collectible.
To wear one of your gifts, go to My Profile > Gifts, tap a gift and select 'Wear'. If you take off the gift later, your profile will return to its original appearance.
Like collectible usernames and numbers, gifts can now be transferred or auctioned via the TON blockchain. This gives owners permanent control — even if they lose access to or delete their Telegram account.
Moving a gift to a TON wallet also allows you to connect to outside services, such as auction sites or platforms that offer extra perks for collectibles.
To move gifts to the blockchain, go to Settings > My Profile > My Gifts and tap one of your gifts, then select Transfer > Send via Blockchain.
To celebrate holidays and achievements, Telegram users can now congratulate channels by sending gifts that are displayed on the channel's profile.
Just like when sending gifts to friends, subscribers can use Stars to upgrade the gift before sending — letting the recipient convert it into a unique collectible for free.
To send a gift to a channel, tap the
gift icon in the bottom corner of the channel.
Channel owners can transfer their gifts to other users and channels or auction them on the blockchain. Content creators and charities can use this functionality to raise funds for special projects and important causes.
Note: Gifts to channels will be rolling out gradually and may not be available everywhere immediately. But everyone can already check out how this feature works in this channel
Collectible gifts on your profile can be posted to your story — generating an elegant animated preview to show off your rare artwork and lucky numbers.
To post a gift to your story, go to Settings > My Profile > My Gifts, tap one of your gifts and select Share > Post to Story.
Every collectible gift has a unique link in the format of t.me/nft which you can share with friends or post to a channel.
The 'Gifts' tab on the profiles of channels includes filters to sort gifts by their value and collectible status, the date they were received, and whether they are from a limited or unlimited collection.
Admins can enable notifications from the Gifts tab of their channels to keep track of the gifts that are sent to the channel.
That's all for Telegram's second update of January. We'll be back soon — after trying on all our best gifts.
January 24, 2025
The Telegram Team
2025-01-02 04:15:54
Today we're releasing the first update of 2025, which includes collectible gifts that can be transferred or re-sent to other users, the ability to send reactions to in-chat events, filters for message search, an in-app QR code scanner and so much more.
Gifts you receive on Telegram are now able to be upgraded to collectibles. Collectible gifts have special attributes and can be transferred to other users or auctioned on NFT marketplaces.
When you upgrade a gift it unlocks a new appearance from dozens of custom variations made by Telegram artists. Collectibles also receive a random set of secondary traits, including a background color, icon and number. This means every collectible gift is a unique work of art — and that some will be more rare than others.
When buying a gift for another user, you can send it already upgraded — and watch as they unwrap their collectible artwork right in the chat.
If you're looking to obtain specific appearances or quickly build up your collection, collectible gifts can be instantly traded to other users.
When someone sends you a gift, joins a group or starts a video chat, a special service message appears in the conversation. These messages now support reactions — so you can say thanks or welcome new members in just two taps.
Service messages also appear when someone calls you, changes the profile photo of a chat, applies a new chat background, starts a giveaway and more.
The search bar in your chat list lets you quickly find messages from any of your chats. Results in the 'Chats' tab now have extra filters that let you refine the list to show results only from private chats, group chats or channels.
Tap the other tabs in the Search interface to look through recent downloads and shared media — or to discover popular channels and mini apps.
Telegram allows public figures and organizations to become verified, so users can quickly identify official sources of information. To further improve transparency on Telegram, official third-party services are now able to assign extra verification icons to user accounts and chats.
This decentralized platform for additional verification will help prevent scams and reduce misinformation — with a unique proactive solution that sets a new safety standard for social platforms.
When a chat or account receives third-party verification, a small logo appears before their name. If you open their profile, you'll see a detailed explanation of their status and what it means.
Third-party verification is completely separate from the verified checkmarks that Telegram provides for public figures and organizations. In order to provide third-party verification to others, a service must first be verified by Telegram and complete an application.
More details on third-party verification are available in this guide.
Anyone can create customizable chat folders to help organize their conversations. Folders names now support custom emoji, which lets Premium users make their folders extra expressive — or more minimalist by replacing text with specific icons.
Over 12 million Telegram users subscribe to Telegram Premium, which offers 30 exclusive features — like faster download speeds, instant chat translation, unlimited custom emoji and more.
The in-app camera on Android and iOS now recognizes QR codes by default, opening links in your preferred browser without switching apps.
To quickly open the in-app camera, swipe right on the main screen (on Android, tap on the camera icon in the bottom right corner).
In 2021, Telegram first began implementing sustainable monetization features in order to stay independent and support its continued growth for years to come.
In 2024, thanks to Premium subscriptions, privacy-conscious ads, Telegram Stars and more, Telegram reached profibability. Thanks to you, our users, we were able to achieve this goal — which will allow us to keep prioritizing users and protecting privacy.
That's all for today's update — which was meant to be the 17th major update of 2024, but was sadly delayed by a lack of attention from Apple's review team. We wish you a Happy New Year, and we'll be back soon to make 2025 even more memorable.
January 1, 2025
The Telegram Team
