Instant Messaging App Telegram, with over 900 million monthly active users, has unveiled eight new features and updates designed to enhance user experience, empower content creators, and make the app more versatile and engaging.
These updates include the Mini App Bar for streamlined multitasking, Paid Media for monetizing exclusive content, Story Search for discovering stories via hashtags and location tags, and the Premium Link Widget for enriched storytelling.
Mini App Bar
Users can now collapse mini-apps into a bar at the bottom of their screen with the new Mini App Bar. This feature allows users to respond to messages or open other mini-apps and then return to a mini-app without waiting for it to load again. To minimize an app, users simply swipe down on its header. To reopen, they can tap the app bar at the bottom of the screen and select one of their active apps.
Pay for Content with Telegram Stars
Telegram Stars, launched last month for purchasing digital products in mini-apps, can now be used by content creators to accept payments for paid photos or videos on their channels. Subscribers can view these exclusive posts only after paying to unlock them. Content creators can use Stars to receive cryptocurrency rewards in Toncoin or to advertise their channels with minimal commission fees.
Search Stories by Hashtag
The new update allows users to search for stories using hashtags. Tapping a hashtag in any chat now displays search results from chats and public channels, and tapping hashtags in story captions shows public stories with matching tags. This feature helps content creators and businesses grow their audience organically by making their profiles and channels more discoverable.
Search Stories by Location
Users can add location tags to their stories, allowing others to find stories from the same place. Tapping a location tag lets users browse public stories from the same location, enhancing discoverability and engagement. Only stories that users are allowed to view appear in these searches, ensuring privacy.
Link Widget in Stories
Premium users can enhance their stories with the new Link Widget, creating a stylish link preview on their photos or videos. This widget supports both light and dark backgrounds and allows users to add a custom link name, replacing the URL text at the top of the preview.
Rewards for Content Creators and Developers
Bot developers and content creators can now use Telegram Stars to receive rewards in Toncoin or buy Telegram Ads with a 30% discount. Telegram takes practically no commission from transactions in Stars, covering third-party payment system fees to ensure cost-effectiveness.
Toncoin Rewards
Channels and bots with a balance in Stars can withdraw them as Toncoin rewards via Fragment. Toncoin is the main currency on The Open Network (TON) and can be easily exchanged for other cryptocurrencies. This feature provides a seamless way for creators to convert their earnings into digital assets.
Subsidized Ads for Creators and Developers
Telegram now offers subsidized ads for bot developers and content creators, allowing them to promote their bots or channels at a special rate with a 30% discount. This feature provides a cost-effective way to reach new users and grow their audience.