Our Bot API has reached version 5.0 today, adding the ability to run your own Bot API server or transfer bot ownership to another account, as well as support for all the latest Telegram features.

Read more on @BotNews

Today's update adds Voice Chats, creating a seamless integration of text and talk in groups. Members can join and leave these open conference calls at any time for a bit of spontaneous conversation alongside their usual text messages and media.

As the calendar turns over to 2021, we'll be busy taking in your feedback and improving Voice Chats with features like video and screen sharing at the top of our list.

To read about all the features in this update, like SD Card Storage for Android and more, check out the full post on our blog:
https://telegram.org/blog/voice-chats

The end of the year is normally a time to look back at the past 12 months. Instead, our founder Pavel Durov has just announced his strategy for making Telegram sustainable, to continue providing you with great features for decades to come.

Move your message history from other apps to Telegram

Millions of people are switching every day and now their old chats from WhatsApp, Line and KakaoTalk can come with them – along with all their friends and family. 😉

This update also gives you more control of your data: secret chats, groups you created and call history can be deleted for all sides at any time.

Voice Chats now appear at the top of your Call History page, and both members and admins can individually adjust other users’ microphone levels.

After one of your contacts joins Telegram, you can open the chat and send a friendly greeting sticker with one tap. 👋

For the full details on how to migrate messages from other apps, plus new Android Animations, Accessibility Improvements and more, check out our blog:
https://telegram.org/blog/move-history

Auto-Delete, Widgets, Expiring Invite Links and More

You can now set an auto-delete timer in any chat, which will erase messages for all participants 24 hours or 7 days after they are sent.

New home screen widgets for iOS and Android let you preview messages and instantly open chats.

Group and channel admins can create additional invite links with a limited duration, number of uses, or both.

Groups approaching the limit of 200k members can now convert to Broadcast Groups that allow unlimited members.

For more information on all these features and their uses, read our blog:
https://telegram.org/blog/autodelete-inv2

Voice Chats 2.0: Channels, Millions of Listeners, Recorded Chats, Admin Tools

Voice Chats can now hold millions of live listeners in any Telegram group or channel.

Admins can record audio from the chat and add users with specific Speaker and Listener links. Listeners who are muted can raise their hand to let admins know that they want a turn to speak.

In channels, you can join a voice chat with your personal account or appear as one of your channels.

For the full story on all these features (and some excellent video demos), check out our blog:
https://telegram.org/blog/voice-chats-on-steroids/

Payments 2.0, Scheduled Voice Chats, New Web Versions

Merchants can now natively accept credit card payments in any Telegram chat, relying on 8 integrated third-party payment providers. Telegram doesn't store card info and charges no commission.

Voice Chats can now be scheduled in advance – members will see a countdown in the chat and can choose to be notified when the chat starts.

Two new web versions have launched, with full support for features like dark mode, animated stickers, chat folders and more.

Android users can directly download Telegram from our site. The app will get new updates automatically – and faster than the Play Store version:
https://telegram.org/android

For more info on all these changes, including new animations and job openings at Telegram, read our full blog:
https://telegram.org/blog/payments-2-0-scheduled-voice-chats

In case you missed this from the blog, we're looking for more Content Moderators to join our team.

Responsibilities: Use a specialized interface to manually sort content according to provided guidelines.

Preferred qualifications: Fluency in English, strong analytical skills, quick reaction, attention to detail.

If you love order and have the self-discipline required for remote work, submit your application via @jobs_bot before 23:59 Dubai time on May 10.

More Telegram jobs here:
https://telegram.org/jobs

Group Video Calls and More

Voice Chats in groups now support video – both from your camera and by sharing your screen. Up to 30 people at a time can chat with video, and we’re already working to expand this soon.

Group video calls are optimized for all devices, with dynamic display options for tablets and desktop. Enjoy the improved audio quality thanks to built-in noise suppression.

For more info and video demos, see our blog:
https://telegram.org/blog/group-video-calls

Animated Backgrounds and More

Animated Backgrounds have been added to all default themes. These new wallpapers swirl as you chat, thanks to a little algorithmic magic. 🧙‍♂️ Find your favorite from the dozens of new presets or build your own in the editor.

There’s much more motion as well – stickers and emoji now jump from your keyboard into the chat with new animations. On iOS, this also applies to media and text messages.

To see everything this update has in store, including new bot and security features, as well as importing stickers from other apps, take a look at the full blog post:

https://telegram.org/blog/animated-backgrounds

Video Calls with up to 1000 Viewers, Video Playback Speed, High Quality Video Messages, Screen Sharing With Sound, and More

Group Video Calls have leveled up and can now have 1000 viewers – in addition to the 30 broadcasters and unlimited audio-only listeners.

The media player has new 0.5x, 1.5x and 2x playback speed options, which you can enable when watching videos in fullscreen.

Video Messages record in higher resolution and you can tap a video message to expand it – while tapping again allows you to fast-forward or rewind.
When recording video messages, device audio will keep playing in the background, and you can zoom in when using the rear camera.

Screen Sharing has also been added to 1-on-1 video calls, and now includes device audio in both individual and group video calls.

And that’s just the beginning – there are a dozen more features on our blog, as well as plenty of jokes and stunning demo videos. Click here to see more about Precision Drawing Tools, Desktop’s Photo Editor, a new In-App Camera on iOS and more:

https://telegram.org/blog/video-1000

Live Streams, Flexible Forwarding, Jump to Next Channel and Trending Stickers

Telegram has been steadily developing for 8 years, and in celebration, here comes version 8.0 🥳

Live video is now available in Channels – and streams in both Groups and Channels support unlimited viewers.

We've added a new preview window for Forwarded Messages with customization options like hiding sender names or hiding captions on media messages.

You can now quickly read posts from all your channels – without going back to your chat list. At the bottom of a channel, pull up and the feed will automatically switch to your next unread one.

Trending Stickers have a new place in the sticker panel, right above your Recently Used, that you can use to browse and add packs.

Users browsing in their sticker panel now show the status ‘choosing a sticker’ in chat (like typing…) to let you know their response is coming soon.

To see these features in action and read about other additions like bigger sticker thumbnails, new animated emoji and more, check out our blog:
https://telegram.org/blog/live-streams-forwarding-next-channel

Chat Themes, Interactive Emoji, Read Receipts in Groups and Live Stream Recording

8 new themes are available for you to apply in specific private chats –  each has day and night versions and colorful animated backgrounds with unique patterns.

Animated Emoji for 🎆🎉🎈👍💩 and ❤️ now have fullscreen effects in private chats – tap to watch new animations that are synced for both users when they have the chat open.

Small group chats now have detailed read receipts for your messages, showing which members have seen it.

Admins in Live Streams and Video Chats can record video (and audio) in either portrait or landscape orientation to upload and share later on.

More about this update:
https://telegram.org/blog/chat-themes-interactive-emoji-read-receipts

Telegram’s latest update lets you time travel through years of Shared Media in any chat by dragging the date bar and pinching to zoom in or out. From there, tap the bar to open a new calendar view with media previews for each day.

For detailed info about these features, check out our full blog post.

November 2021 updates: 1 • 2 • 3

Also in this update, users can join and create closed communities with the new Admin Approval setting for invite links.

When opening these links, potential members can send a Join Request, which must be approved by an admin before that user can access the group or channel.

Bot developers now have the tools to create bots that can share invite links and approve potential members – or even give them special tasks before they are allowed to join.

November 2021 updates: 1 • 2 • 3

Additionally, iOS has redesigned Appearance settings – including new themes for the entire app, each with a Day and Night Mode, colorful animated background and gradient message bubbles.

You can personalize these themes with custom colors and patterns, and tap Chat Themes to edit and share your designs.

These new global themes will be available on Android in future updates.

Our latest blog contains the full details about this feature and others – including instant media captions, transit times, new interactive emoji, and more.

November 2021 updates: 1 • 2 • 3

Telegram’s latest update adds a new setting for creators to protect content in groups and channels – keeping it exclusive to their intended audience.

When enabled, this option restricts forwarding messages, while also preventing screenshots and limiting the ability to save media from posts.


December 2021 Features: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • More

For years, users have been able to completely delete chat contents in any chat for both sides, along with other privacy features like auto-delete and disappearing media.

Now you can also clear chat history from a specific day or period of time in any one-on-one chat – simply tap a date header in chat and select which days to permanently erase.

December 2021 Features: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • More

Telegram allows users to log in on an unlimited number of devices on all platforms. In Settings > Devices, there is a new button to quickly link a desktop device via QR code, and extra settings to manage your active devices.

At the bottom of the page, you can now set your devices to automatically log out after a specific period of inactivity. Tapping an individual device lets you log it out remotely – or toggle whether it can accept Calls or Secret Chats.

December 2021 Features: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • More

Public Groups and Channel Comments are used by millions of people to create communities around any topic. To give users more anonymity, we’ve added the ability to appear as a channel when posting in these chats.

Tap the profile picture next to the message bar to choose one of your channels – after which, your messages will appear with the name and photo of the channel instead of your personal account.

December 2021 Features: 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • More