Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts

Why the accounts of the people working in Telegram are not banned

Telegram applies the same rules to anyone, irrespective of the person. The only reason why the accounts of Telegram employees isn't banned is that they can't get a new number every time (Telegram's secrecy) and that they don't do any such thing to get a ban. They're private and don't contact anyone again and again, either simply or to test if a problem is solved. As they have access to then support and moderators, they can just send them a message and get their problem solved. They need not test it to see if it's solved because if they come across it again, they can ask support and it will be solved in seconds. Therefore, they don't break any kind of rule, as such to face bans. As simple as that.

Video calls for the first 30 voice chat participants.

Video calls for the first 30 voice chat participants. In Telegram for Android 7.8.0 Beta, video functionality is available only for the first 30 participants of the voice chat. It means that the 31st participant will no longer be able to see other users' videos or broadcast their own. For such participant, the chat will become just a voice chat: you will be able to speak yourself and hear other speakers. Currently, chats are tested with this restriction, the limit will be increased in the next updates.

A Million followers in official Telegram account in Twitter

A Million followers in official Telegram account in Twitter. The official Twitter account of the Telegram messenger reached 1M followers. On this account the team of the messenger tells about new features, reminds about existing ones, helps users and makes jokes.

Payments 2.0, Scheduled Voice Chats, New Web Versions

Payments 2.0

We first added support for payments in 2017Payment bots allowed users to securely pay for goods and services without leaving the app – anything from ordering a pizza to hailing a taxi, to replacing winter tires when you're tired of winter.

Starting today, merchants can natively accept credit card payments in any chat, relying on 8 integrated third-party payment providers such as Stripe.

Buyers can add a tip whenever they make a purchase to show some extra love to their favorite artists, stores, or delivery drivers. Payments can now be made from any app – including desktop apps.

This is a free and privacy-conscious platform – Telegram takes no commission, and stores no payment information. Credit card information is sent directly to the payment provider and shipping information is shared with the merchant so they can send you your goods.

We've created a demo channel with the most exotic imaginary goods and services no money can buy, so you can test how this works without spending a penny.

Any merchant can start using the Payments API without getting additional approvals from Telegram. Developers interested in integrating payments can find all the details in the Payments Manual.

Scheduled Voice Chats

Voice Chats give users the option to catch up with a few friends or tune in to massive broadcasts with millions of listeners.

Admins of groups and channels can now schedule a Voice Chat for a particular date and time instead of creating one right away. This gives community members time to let their friends know and get the popcorn ready.

Users will see a colorful countdown at the top of the chat. Those too busy to watch the countdown can opt to receive a notification when the voice chat starts.

Admins can schedule a Voice Chat from their Group or Channel's profile page. On Androidtap ⋮ > Start Voice chat > Schedule Voice Chat. On iOS, tap the Voice Chat button and select Schedule Voice Chat.

Don't worry, the chat won't start automatically when the countdown reaches zero – only when an admin presses the Start Now button.

Mini Profiles for Voice Chats

You can now expand profile pictures and bios to get a better idea of who you're chatting with – without leaving the voice chat window.

You can also change your profile picture and edit your bio without leaving the chat – like changing from Shirley to Grognak the Barbarian as you meet for Dungeons and Dragons.

New Web Versions

Telegram's first Web Version was launched in 2014. Ever since, our pet demon of internal competition kept whispering: 'Why have one web version when you can have two?'

Today we're adding two new, fully-featured Telegram web apps – both supporting animated stickersdark modechat folders and more.

With the new web versions you can get instant access to your chats on any device – desktop or mobile. These apps are incredibly efficient, requiring only a 400 KB download (that's like two photos of a medium-sized cat) and no installation.

Take them for a test drive, and see which one you like best:

Like other Telegram apps, all our web versions are standalone: once you've logged in, you do not need to keep your phone nearby or connected to the internet.

If you find an issue with either of the new apps, let us know using our Suggestions Platform.

Direct Download for Android

While iOS users can already download this update from the App Store, Google told us they are “currently experiencing longer than usual review times due to adjusted work schedules”. Luckily, you don't have to wait until the review is completed.

Anyone can download Telegram for Android directly from telegram.org. Apps installed from the website will automatically update to the latest version. You are likely to get new versions several days or weeks faster this way because you won't have to wait for updates to be reviewed by the store.

Telegram supports reproducible builds, so you can always be sure that the app you have on your device was built from the exact same open source code that is published on GitHub.

Pinch to zoom

Photos and videos can now be expanded directly from the chat – simply pinch to zoom in right away, without tapping to open the media viewer.

Improved Video Player

When watching a video from the media player on iOS, press and hold the + or - 15s buttons to fast-forward and rewind. On Android press and hold on the right or left side of the screen to do the same, and double-tap to jump 10 seconds in either direction.

Tips and New Android Animations

The Android app gets smoother and more dynamic with each update – check out the new animations when opening the side menu or swiping back to the chat list from a chat.

Telegram now offers direct app download for Android with ‘fewer restrictions

 

Messaging platform Telegram is now offering a version of its app that can be directly downloaded from its website. This way, you skip the Google Play Store and download Telegram as an APK on your Android phone.


What’s the advantage? Well, Telegram says that its version of the app has “fewer restrictions” than the one offered on the Google Play store. The direct download also receives “automatic updates” as per the company.

Telegram hasn’t specified what it means by fewer restrictions. However, some Reddit users believe that Google blocks access to certain channels on Telegram that it thinks you shouldn’t access. A user even posted some screenshots of channels that have been blocked on Telegram.

While some Redditors point out that the blocked channels belong to radical hate groups that definitely warrant the restrictions, others believe that blocking should be Telegram’s prerogative, not Google’s.

That said, Telegram prides itself on its privacy features, and adding censorship to the mix could cause it to lose its ballooning popularity.

There might also be other restrictions on Telegram’s Play Store version, but we’re not sure what those are. Have you noticed any access issues on the Telegram app downloaded from the Play Store? If so, let us know in the comments section below.

As for the automatic updates, if it works anything like the beta version of Telegram, a pop-up window should show up in the app once an update is available.

Meanwhile, you can head to this page for step-by-step instructions on downloading the Telegram APK directly on your Android phone.

Telegram Launches Two New Web apps with Better Features and Design

Telegram has named its two apps as Telegram WebK and the Telegram WebZ. Users can send or make video calls on the new Telegram web apps. Both the apps look identical in terms of both features and looks. Therefore, it’s not quite clear now why Telegram launched two separate web apps.
webk.telegram.org
However, if you take a closer look then you can see minute differences in the user interface of Telegram WebK and the Telegram WebZ. There are also a few differences feature-wise between the two apps. For starters, the WebK version allows users to mute calls but you can’t do so in the WebZ app.
webz.telegram.org
In WebK, the search bar is white in colour, whereas, it is grey in the WebZ version. But one of the most important features of all, voice calling, is still missing from both apps. Notably, WhatsApp had launched a voice calling feature on its web app a few months ago. While Telegram hasn’t confirmed anything as of now, the company is likely to bring a voice calling feature to its web app soon with an update.

Pavel Durov Told why Bondholders do not Influence Telegram

Owning bonds does not imply any significant leverage, let alone "friendship" with bondholders. Telegram bonds are a form of debt that any investor can now buy on the secondary market, none of these investors have received any rights to use Telegram or influence its policies.

"This is inaccurate. Owning bonds doesn't imply any meaningful leverage, neither does "being friends" with someone who owns bonds. Telegram bonds are a form of debt which any investor can now buy on the secondary market; none of these investors obtain any rights in managing Telegram or affecting its policies.

A bond issuance is very different from an equity sale in which investors get voting shares, board seats etc. This is why - as I pointed out in my latest post - issuing bonds allowed Telegram to raise funds without sacrificing its independent nature."

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

Telegram has extended the voice chats feature to Channels with the latest update that also brings a handful of new features including recordable voice chat, raise hand mechanics, voice chat titles, among others. With the latest update, admins of Telegram Channels can now host voice chats for millions of live listeners. To start a voice chat, admins will have to:

Limitless Voice Chats

Admins of channels and public groups can now host voice chats for millions of live listeners. No matter how popular your talk gets, new people will be able to tune in. It's like public radio reinvented for the 21st century.
To start a Voice Chat, open the profile of any group or channel where you're an admin, tap (⋮) or (⋯) and select Start Voice Chat.

Recorded Chats

While some conversations are meant to be temporary, others are worth preserving and passing on. Admins can now record audio from voice chats to save talks and publish them for followers who missed the live event.

Once you finish recording, the audio file becomes instantly available in your Saved Messages. To avoid surprises, chats that are being recorded are marked with a red light next to their title.

Raise Hand

In chats where participants are muted, listeners can tap to raise their hand and alert the admins that they want to speak. Just like calling in to a talk show – but with addictive animations.

Your bio text is now visible in the list of participants, which you can use to detail your expertise, interests, or just a little bit about yourself. This info might help admins find a good slot for your questions or comments.
Speaker and Listener Links

Admins of public groups and channels can now create invite links that open the voice chat right away. Separate links can be made for speakers and listeners. This way you won't need to unmute important guests when they join – and they can use a different link to promote the upcoming chat to their communities.

Voice chats also have optional titles which help users see the topic of conversation before they join.

Join As…

When entering a voice chat in a channel, users have the option to join with their personal account or appear as one of their channels. Celebrities and public figures can use this to avoid drawing too much attention to their personal accounts.
For example, the Presidents of Brazil and Turkey could meet for a talk in Pavel Durov's Channel and answer questions from users without the risk of having their chat lists flooded with fan mail.

And More

If you choose the wrong chat by mistake when forwarding messages, press the X button before sending them – to either cancel forwarding or choose a different chat.
You can also resume playback from where you left off when listening to long voice messages. This was previously available for long videos and long audio tracks, and we thought we'd covered everything – but then our grandma signed up.

Last but not least, Android users can choose which action is assigned to swiping left in the chat list: archiving chats, pinning, muting, deleting or marking them as read. (On iOS, all these swipe actions are always available, depending on which way you swipe.)

And that's it for today, stay tuned for the next update!

Telegram users distribution by region

Telegram provided user distribution by region in their financial report.

The data:
  • Asia – 38%
  • Europe – 26%
  • Middle East – 17%
  • North and South America – 12%
  • Africa – 7%
According to previous data from Pavel Durov, 11% of active users are from India and 7% are from Russia.
India is 8% of signups and 11% of monthly users on Telegram. No other country is bigger on Telegram than India, which is logical given it is the largest free country in terms of population. - Durov

Telegram Update Brings Auto-Delete Feature, Home Screen Widgets, Expiring Invite Links, and More

This update brings an auto-delete timer for messages in any chat, as well as new flexible invite links and faster access to your chats with home screen widgets. Also, groups can now have unlimited members.

Auto-Delete Messages

Some conversations aren't meant to last forever, which is why Telegram users can  delete messages for all participants in a conversation at any time, without a trace. Since 2013, users can also set a self-destruct timer for messages in Secret Chats.

Starting today, you can enable an auto-delete timer in all Telegram chats, which will automatically erase messages for all participants either 24 hours or 7 days after sending.

Auto-delete only applies to messages sent after the timer is set, earlier messages will stay in the chat history. Unlike in Secret Chats, the countdown starts when messages are sent, not read.

To enable the timer on Android, tap ⋮ > Clear History then choose a duration.
On iOS, press and hold a message, tap Select > Clear Chat (top-left) > Enable Auto-Delete.

All messages show a countdown to their deletion time – simply tap on Android or press and hold on iOS to take a look. 

In groups and channels, only admins can enable or modify the timer.

Home Screen Widgets

For instant access to your most important chats, add a Telegram widget to your home screen. The Chat Widget shows a preview of recent messages, while the Shortcut Widget shows only names and profile pictures.

On Android, chats and messages in the widget will always be up to date, and you can further expand the widget to take up more of your screen. On iOS, widgets will only get fresh data occasionally and can't be expanded – this is due to system limitations.

To add a widget, press and hold on your home screen, then tap Widgets on Android or the (+) on iOS and search for Telegram.

Expiring Invite Links

Invite links are a quick and easy way to bring 1 or  1 million people to your groups and channels. Along with the main invite link, owners and admins can now create additional links with a limited durationnumber of uses, or both.

Any invite link can be converted into a scannable QR Code to put on everything from brochures to billboards. You can also see which users joined using each invite link to find out where new members came from or which format has been most effective for growth. 

To view and manage invite links, tap to open your Group or Channel's Profile > Edit > Invite Links. Tap (⋮) or (⋯) to convert a link to a QR Code.

Groups with Unlimited Members

Telegram groups allow up to 200,000 members to exchange messages, media and stickers. Groups that are close to the limit can now convert into Broadcast Groups that allow unlimited members.

Converting to a Broadcast Group makes it so that only admins can send messages, but members can still join voice chats.

Broadcast Groups are ideal for large communities, where people can follow along and catch exclusive interviews, news, or just casual talks.

Improved Chat Import

Our developers are continuing to refine and expand the chat import feature added to Telegram last month. With today’s update, imported messages will now appear sorted by their original date if added to a Telegram chat that is new or has fewer than 1000 messages.

Sorting by original date is currently available when importing to all one-on-one chats, all newly created groups, and smaller existing groups.

Improved Reporting System

Telegram processes millions of user reports each month to make sure the platform is not abused. To help make this more efficient, we will now always ask you to select specific messages when sending a report.

Additionally, all reporting options allow you to add a comment to give more context – like when reporting fake accounts.

And More Animated Emoji

A new update always means new animations, so test out the new characters below by sending a single emoji in any chat.

That's all for today's changes, this message will now delete in 3, 2, 1 … oh. Never mind, this is a blog post, they don't do that yet. 


February 23, 2021
The Telegram Team

How To Import Your Chats From WhatsApp To Telegram


Over 100 million new users joined Telegram this January, seeking more privacy and freedom. But what about the messages and memories that remain in older apps?

Starting today, everyone can bring their chat history – including videos and documents – to Telegram from apps like WhatsApp, Line and KakaoTalk. This works both for individual chats and groups:

To move a chat from WhatsApp on iOS, open the Contact Info or Group Info page in WhatsApp, tap Export Chat, then choose Telegram in the Share menu.

On Android, open a WhatsApp chat, tap ⋮ > More > Export Chat, then choose Telegram in the Share menu:

Move Chats and Save Space

The best part is that the messages and media you move don’t need to occupy extra space. Older apps make you store all data on your device – but Telegram can take up virtually no space while letting you access all your messages, photos and videos anytime you need them.

Telegram Announced Paid Memberships And Channel Monetization

Over the years, Telegram has proven to be a popular alternative to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. It's now on the verge of reaching 500 million active users, and as it approaches this milestone, co-founder Pavel Durov has announced plans to start earning revenue in 2021 through premium features and an ad platform.

An operation of such scale requires some serious moolah to keep going, and the app is regularly updated with new features — just today, always-on voice chats, SD card support, and new animations were introduced. Durov's savings were the primary source of funding until now, but this isn't sustainable in the longer term. To keep the boat afloat, Telegram has a two-pronged strategy.

Firstly of all, it plans to introduce paid features in 2021 that will be aimed at business and power users. Don't worry, all of the features that are currently free will remain so, forever.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, it plans to introduce an ad platform that is user-friendly, respects privacy, and allows them to make up for the costs of servers and traffic. It's important to note that no ads will be displayed in either personal or group chats. What may be monetized are the public one-to-many channels, some of which have millions of subscribers.

The company claims that if it starts earning revenue, it will share benefits with the community. For instance, channel owners will "receive free traffic in proportion to their size," although it's not exactly clear what that means, and there will be other opportunities such as paid stickers with profits going to the artists.

Thankfully, Durov dismissed the idea of ever selling Telegram to a large corporation, snarkily pointing out Facebook's acquisition of WhatsApp in the process. According to him, the route that the company has chosen will allow it to keep innovating and growing without losing focus on its values.

Telegram adds always on voice chats, SD card support, and new animations

As the year draws to a close, Telegram is pushing out a new update that adds to what is already one of the most feature-rich messaging apps. The most interesting addition is Voice Chats, which allows users in a group chat to participate in an always-on conference call, coming and going as they please.

Once activated (by an admin), group chats will have a special bar at the top that shows how many members are currently involved in the voice chat. Android users can further this experience by enabling a system-wide floating widget. Notably, the feature can support up to a "few thousand participants," but I'm having trouble imagining how that could go well.

Voice Chats will also be available on iOS, Windows, and macOS. On desktop, you'll be able to assign a push-to-talk key to send messages even when Telegram is not focused. The new update brings a few other improvements too. Something you'll immediately notice is the new animations that are littered throughout the Android app. And yes, you can finally move your data from internal storage to an SD card.

Telegram's media editing tools on Android and iOS are now on par with one another. You can now add effects, drawings, or stickers to an already-sent photo on Android, while Apple users gain the the ability to quickly edit and send back photos. Finally, the update brings more animated emojis and will also show outlines of stickers before they load, making it a tad quicker to select an appropriate one.

Today's update brings you multiple pinned messages, proximity alerts for Live Locations, sending music as Playlists, and more


Today's update brings you multiple pinned messages, proximity alerts for Live Locations, sending music as Playlists, and more.

All chats, including one-on-one chats now support multiple pinned messages. Tap on the top bar to jump through them in chat, or use the new icon to open all the pinned messages on a separate page.

When sharing Live Location, you can now set distance alerts that will send you a notification when someone is close, and icons on the map show which direction users are facing.

Sending multiple music files at the same time will create a playlist. Pressing play will automatically add the rest of the tracks to your queue. For other file types, multiple photos or documents will be sent as an album.

It wouldn’t be an update without extra animated emoji, so check out what happens when you send a single ⚰️ 🎃 🧛‍♀️ 🧟‍♂️ 🦇 🕷 🕸 🌜 🌛 or 🗿 in chat (and tap on the animated ⚰️ and 🎃 emojis in chat for an extra surprise).

If you’re feeling lucky, see if you can hit the jackpot using 🎰.

For more info on all these changes and more, including Channel Stats for individual posts and new Android animations, read the blog here: https://telegram.org/blog/pinned-messages-locations-playlists

Restricting access to the official Telegram website in Belarus


A subscriber of the Belarusian operator A1 reported a certificate error on the official Telegram website - t.me. Instead of the original GoDaddy certificate, a certificate is provided from a certain "OSOO Alternative Digital Network". In the course, it turned out that in this way A1 is unsuccessfully trying to show a stub about blocking a web resource.


Earlier in Belarus, the Nekhta channel was recognized as extremist and a resolution was adopted on the need to block it.

The error occurs due to the fact that the provider is trying to take secure traffic under its control: in order to view or modify the transmitted data, the provider must replace the legitimate certificate with its own, but modern browsers do not trust such certificates.

In this case, the error is harmless, but in the future, intelligence services may try to listen to traffic in a similar way, performing a so-called MITM attack. They tried to deploy such tactics in Kazakhstan , but after the failure the idea was abandoned.

Never install certificates on your device if the carriers convince you to do so: this directly gives your ISP access to all web traffic.

Correspondence in official Telegram clients remains secure, since Telegram uses its own protocol, independent of this wiretapping technique.

For Telegram links to work on Android again, you need to install Telegram as the default app to open such links:
  1. If, when you click on a link, you are prompted to open it in Telegram or a browser, choose Telegram.
  2. If the pop-up window does not appear: Hold down the Telegram icon and open the "About application" item. Select the "Default Actions" section. Under Open Supported Links, select Open or Allow.
To open the link on iOS in Telegram, hold down this link and select "Open in Telegram".

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