Official bot for tracking government requests

Telegram has launched @transparency — a bot that can be used to obtain information about the user data shared with governments around the world, data such as the user's IP address or phone number (as mentioned in clause 8.3 of the Privacy Policy).

Users can only see transparency records of the country to which their phone number belongs. That said, Telegram will not be disclosing users' data with countries or regions with a low democracy index.

The public address @transparency was previously used by another official channel which was for broadcasting data disclosure information. Although even after the 4th year of its existence, nothing was published there, which might mean that the requests of the authorities were not satisfied.

Submissions for the Android development contest were published

The task of the contest was implementing reactions for Telegram X according to provided mockups (including animations, layouts and all customization options).

You can test and view the submissions by downloading the APK files in the special channel: @tgx_prs.

Since the apps were developed by third-party developers, it's not recommended to use your main account.

Results of the contest will be announced on July 12.

#contests

🆕 Telegram watermark on the screenshot of notch iPhone's statusbar

@Telegram #iOS v8.8.2

Telegram Web Z was updated to version 1.49

👏 Harder
• Telegram Premium. By subscribing, users unlock doubled limits, 4 GB file uploads, faster downloads, exclusive stickers and reactions, improved chat management – and a whole lot more.
• Native trackpad gestures in the Media Viewer. Swipe left or right to move through media, swipe up or down to exit.
• Improved polls that support retracting votes and closing the poll – plus a confetti effect.

🤩 Better
• Various layout and performance improvements.
• Improved payment form validation.
• Use the hotkey ⌘+, to access app Settings on macOS.
• See a helpful info screen when JavaScript support is disabled.

💪 Stronger
• Call panel properly disappears after answering on another device.
• Fixed unexpected message deleting when using search in the forwarding menu.
• Fixed unnecessary up-scaling when uploading small images.
• Archived chats do not appear in the ‘Forward to’ list.
• Fixed loading loop when disabling reactions in group management.
• Various fixes in the text formatting menu.

@webztalks

Results of the second round of the GIF contest were published

Judges and paid contributors delivered over 500,000 required verdicts in order to select 285 winning works, containing thousands of GIF-files.

In order to see high-quality, smooth and impressive GIF files, created by the winners of the contest, you need to open the search section of GIFs in your Telegram app. You can paste any emoji into the search field or enter your desired query.

In general, the rating shows the quality of the image, the overall usability of the content present, and its relevance to the selected emoji.

The judges evaluated creativity, uniqueness, and stylistic consistency. Bonus points were awarded to contestants who achieved excellent quality and maintained a small size.

GIF animations created by the awardees and winners of the competition are already waiting for you in the corresponding panel.

More about the results of the competition here.

#contests

Telegram WebZ was updated to version 1.49.0

What's new
— Telegram Premium support.
— Ability to use built-in trackpad gestures for media browsing: Swipe left or right to navigate through media, or up/down to exit.
— Improved polls with support for unvoting and closing, as well as the confetti effect.
— Improved payment validation form.
— Use the hotkey ⌘+ to access Application Settings on macOS.
— Appearance of a useful information screen when JavaScript support is disabled.
— Various layout and performance improvements.

Bug fixes
— The call bar will disappear rightly after answering a call from another device.
— Fixes unexpected deletion of messages when using search in the forwarding menu.
— Fixes unnecessary zoom when loading small images.
— Archived chats will no longer appear in the "Forward to" list.
— Fixes loading loop when disabling reactions in group management.
— Various fixes in the text formatting menu.

web.telegram.org/z

#webz #update

Delete account immediately right from the app

Version 8.3.3 of Telegram for iOS can now delete your account immediately at your request. The new option has appeared in Privacy settings. A sudden update is related to new App Store's guidelines that require from the published apps to have an option for users to delete their account without leaving the app.

If you choose to delete your account immediately, Telegram will show you some options you might want to do instead of terminating your account, like changing privacy settings or clearing cache. The deletion button is hidden at the very end of the lengthy list of possible actions.

It's important to know that you can't restore your data nor your account upon its deletion.

Before this change you could delete your account only on the official website, on the deactivation page.

#iOS #update

Custom emoji in the next update

New content was uploaded to Telegram's servers, so now we know more about the upcoming update.

The feature will let people use stickers as emoji within the text of messages. There will be packs animated by the Telegram team and custom sets from regular users — including static and video emoji.

It is likely that only Premium users will be able to use custom emoji sets: this may be the first addition to the list of perks since the introduction of the subscription.

#premium

Gift Telegram Premium

In Beta version of Telegram for macOS, you can gift Premium subscription to another user.

Three gift plans are now available:

• 3 months (with 5% discount) — $14.39
• 6 months (with 10% discount) — $26.99
• 1 year (with 15% discount) — $49.99

#macOS

Ads with animated emoji

Telegram is preparing custom emoji support for sponsored messages. This means advertisers will now be able to insert tiny animations, video- and photo-emoji.

Currently sponsored messages are text-only. Emojis will be played automatically in loop, without sound.

Automatic charges for Telegram Premium subscription

Users have noticed @PremiumBot renews the subscription a day before the scheduled date.

Automatic Renewal FAQ

• How to disable automatic renewal?
Send the /stop command after every payment. Telegram Premium will continue to work but won't renew automatically upon expiration.

• Why did the renewal happen before my subscription expired?
It's a common practice for subscriptions to renew a day (or even sooner) before the expiration. You can see this happening in the App Store and Google Play too. Although the @PremiumBot tells you the "next payment date", it seems like the developers didn't consider the fact that the bot can renew subscriptions earlier. The date the bot tells you is actually the expiration date for your subscription in case you cancel it.

• Why the date shifted back in the next month?
It looks like @PremiumBot considers a month to be a 30-day period. There's still a probability for this to be an error, but the messenger team didn't comment on this regard.

• Why did the price in @PremiumBot get lower?
In first few days after the sells started, Telegram was still adjusting the prices in some regions, like Russia, so in some markets price got lower. You don't need to cancel the subscription and resubscribe to get the new price.

• Will there be compensation if I paid more in the first month due to the price adjustments?
No, compensation for price fluctuations in June is not planned.

• Why is the price for Telegram Premium higher in App Store and Google Play?
Because of App Store and Google Play fees, and also local taxes in some markets.

The subscription is cheaper to get with the @PremiumBot. Because of digital app stores rules, the bot only works on webz.telegram.org and Telegram apps downloaded from telegram.org. The bot won't start in apps installed from app stores or third parties.

• I didn't set the "Save Information for future use" checkbox while entering my payment data, but I was still automatically charged!
This checkbox is responsible for one-time payments in bots. Telegram Premium is a subscription.

Subscriptions don't store your payment data. Instead, they "tokenize" your card. This means the store asks for a special key from your bank, which allows the merchant to make regular payments without storing your card info. These keys usually continue to work even if you re-issue the card because of its expiry, or if you do it manually. Some banks allow revoking such keys from their online banking apps.

#premium #faq

Animated Emoji Sets

In Beta version of Telegram for Android, you can see sets of animated emojis.

The standard emoji categories are now collapsed into a carousel, and the rest of the panel space will be used in the future to scroll through custom emoji sets.

The update will allow you to use stickers as emojis inside text messages. There will be both animated sets by the Telegram team, and custom sets from ordinary users — static and video emojis.

It is likely that only Premium users will be able to use custom emoji sets.

#Android

Alternative payment methods

In the Beta version of Telegram Desktop, you can now make in-app purchases (through the Payments 2.0 platform) and purchase Premium subscription not only with a bank card, but also with PayPal and Cheque services.

Currently it is impossible to pay with these payment methods — this functionality is at the testing stage.

#desktop

Telegram WebZ updated to version 1.50.0

What's new:
— Flexible Forwarding: Forward messages without the sender's name or media captions.
— Reorder Folders: Change the order of your folders in Settings.
— Better Drag & Drop: Open a chat in your list by dragging a file to it.
— Added more emojis.
— Media Viewer now supports scrolling through profile pictures.
— Use the hotkey ⌘+0 to open Saved Messages on macOS.
— Triple click will now select all text in the message field.
— Large file downloads (2 GB+) are supported in more browsers.
— Added colored icons for the invite link section in groups and channels.
— Added support for deleting chats with service notifications.
— Background color now adapts for better contrast in uploaded transparent images.
— Added support for SmallTalk highlighting, thanks to LinqLover on GitHub.

Fixes:
— Fixed issue with countable text localization in some languages.
— Removed download button from media in chats with content protection enabled.
— Various call fixes.
— Small redesign for code formatting, fixed parsing issues.
— Fixed video controls on mobile devices, thanks to y0ung3r on GitHub.
— Fixed duplicated messages in CJK languages.
— Removed ‘View in Picture-in-Picture’ button from stickers.
— Fixed layout issues in Waterfox Classic.
— Fixed issue with replies in discussions.
— Small design improvements related to Telegram Premium.

web.telegram.org/z

#webz

Telegram Emoji Platform, Custom Animated Emoji Packs, Gifting Telegram Premium, and More

🌐 Blog : https://telegram.org/blog/custom-emoji

📆 AUG 12 , 2022

#Telegram #Stable #Update #Aug2022

ℹ️ @KeralagramChannel

✨ TELEGRAM | UPDATES ✨

iOS : Version 8.9
Android : Version 8.9
macOS : Version 8.9
TDesktop : Version 3.9

🆕 What's New: 12 AUG 2022

Telegram Emoji Platform, Custom Animated Emoji Packs, Gifting Telegram Premium, and More

▪️ New Sticker Panel
• Switch between sticker, emoji and GIF tabs to quickly find what you're looking for.
• Enjoy a more vibrant design with semi-transparency and improved scrolling performance on older devices.
• When typing a message, the sticker button turns into an emoji button that opens the emoji panel.

▪️Premium: Custom Emoji Packs
• Add animated emoji from 10 new custom packs – with countless more coming.
• Get animated emoji suggestions from your packs when you enter any static emoji.
• Press and hold on a message containing emoji to see which packs were used.
• Create your own custom emoji packs for Premium subscribers.
• All Telegram users can see emoji from any pack — and try them out for free in the Saved Messages chat.

▪️Premium: Privacy Settings for Voice Messages
• Control who can send or forward you voice messages in Settings > Privacy and Security with Telegram Premium.
• Create exceptions to add individual users or groups of users.

▪️Gifting Telegram Premium
• Send a prepaid Premium subscription to any user from their profile page.
• Choose from a 3, 6 or 12 month duration – at a discounted price.

------------
More about this update:
https://telegram.org/blog/custom-emoji
------------

iOS : 📤 AppStore | 📥 TestFlight
Android : 📤 PlayStore | 📥 Appcenter
Mac : 📤 macOS | 📤 Appcenter
Desktop : 📤 Tdesktop

#Telegram #Stable #Update #Android #iOS #TDesktop #macOS

ℹ️ @KeralagramChannel

Bot API 6.2

Custom Emoji
• Bots can identify custom emoji sent by Telegram Premium users via the new type "custom_emoji" and field custom_emoji_id added to the MessageEntity class.
• Added the method getCustomEmojiStickers to obtain information about specific emoji.
• Added the fields type and custom_emoji_id to the Sticker class.
• Added sticker_type as a new field for StickerSet and as a new parameter for createNewStickerSet.

Web Apps
• Implemented support for native dialog windows including alerts, popups with custom buttons and confirmation messages.
• A confirmation dialog can now be shown when users close the web app. The dialog can be toggled via the enableClosingConfirmation and disableClosingConfirmation functions.
• Added the field is_premium to the WebAppUser class — the standard User class already included this field, see version 6.1.

• Added has_restricted_voice_and_video_messages to the Chat class to support the new premium setting.

• And more, see the full changelog for details:

https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#august-12-2022

Note: The documentation for createNewStickerSet and StickerSet no longer mentions the contains_masks parameter and field respectively. In both instances, contains_masks will continue to work for backward compatibility but developers should use sticker_type instead.