Celebrating 11 Years of Telegram: A Milestone of Innovation

Telegram is proud to mark its 11th anniversary, a journey that began in August 2013 and has brought hundreds of features and nearly a billion users onboard — all without a marketing budget. This remarkable growth has been powered entirely by the support of our global community of users and content creators.

In our latest update, we’re introducing several features designed to empower creators and enhance user experience. Here’s what’s new:

Star Reactions: Supporting Content Creators

A new way for users to directly support their favorite channels and creators is here: Star Reactions. By sending stars, users can show their appreciation for content, while channel owners receive 100% of the rewards, which can be converted into Toncoin or subsidized ads.

Posts featuring Star Reactions also include a leaderboard highlighting top contributors — with privacy options for users who prefer to stay anonymous.

Enable Star Reactions by navigating to Channel Settings > Reactions > Enable Paid Reactions.

Star Subscriptions: Exclusive Content Access

Creators can now offer special invite links for joining channels in exchange for monthly subscriptions paid in Telegram Stars. This feature enables channels to share exclusive content, provide early access, or host VIP live streams.

Set up a Star Subscription by heading to Channel Settings > Channel Type > Manage Invite Links > Create a New Link and enabling the subscription fee option.

Paid Media for Bots and Business Accounts

Channel owners and bot admins can now post paid photos and videos, opening new avenues for monetization. This update also supports bots running Telegram Business accounts, enabling automated services like image generation, video processing, and more.

Developers interested in this feature can find implementation details in Telegram’s documentation.

Super Channels: Enhanced Admin Identity Options

Admins now have the option to post in channels as their personal profiles or other channels. This update makes channels feel more interactive, similar to groups. Admins can toggle this setting anytime via the message bar’s profile picture.

To enable this, go to Channel Settings > Administrators > Turn on Sign Messages and Show Authors’ Profiles.

Document Viewer for iOS

On iOS, documents such as PDFs and Word files now open in separate tabs within the Telegram browser, making it easier to multitask between files and chat messages.

Since last year, Telegram has delivered 17 major updates, introducing exciting features like Stories, Stars, Creator Rewards, and much more. And with another year ahead, the Telegram journey continues to innovate and redefine communication.

Published by: https://telegram.org