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This is the English mirror of @tginfo. Ask Questions & Discuss: @tginfochaten Beta Channel: @betainfoen TON: @infotonen Other Languages: @tginfoall Feedback & Commecrial: @infowritebot
Vietnam Blocks Telegram
Vietnam's technology ministry has ordered telecoms providers to block the Telegram app for failing to cooperate in combating alleged crimes committed by its users, Reuters reports.
According to police, 68% of the country's 9,600 Telegram channels and groups violate the law in terms of fraud, drug trafficking, and alleged terrorism-related cases. In addition, according to police, "many groups with tens of thousands of participants were created by opposition and reactionary subjects spreading anti-government documents".
The document, dated May 21, orders telecommunications companies to take measures to block Telegram and report them to the ministry by June 2.
#bans #Vietnam
Financial Performance of Telegram in 2024 and New Debt Issuance
Telegram is issuing bonds worth approximately $1.5 billion to refinance its existing debt. The issuance started on Tuesday and may be completed as early as next week.
According to Financial Times, the company stated that an investigation in France concerning Pavel Durov could pose an obstacle to conducting an IPO. The documents indicate that the matter could be resolved this year, but the final timeline depends on the progress of the investigation.
Key financial figures:
• Telegram's revenue for 2024 amounted to $1.4 billion ($343 million in 2023).
• Profit reached $540 million (compared to a $173 million loss in 2023).
• Around 50% of revenue came from partnership projects and mini-apps based on TON and Toncoin.
• Advertising revenue totaled $250 million, while Premium subscription revenue reached $292 million.
• As of February 2025, the company had $530 million in its accounts (excluding crypto assets).
• In 2025, revenue is expected to grow to $2 billion, with profits projected to reach $720 million.
Telegram considers an IPO as one of its potential development strategies, but legal restrictions imposed on Pavel Durov could influence investor decisions.
#IPO #profit
Message Channels
In the Beta version of Telegram for iOS 11.12 (30793), users may now send messages to channel admins, the channel "teleLakel" reports.
The price for messages may range from 0 to 10,000 Telegram stars. Previously, this feature appeared in Telegram for macOS.
The feature is currently in early development, only works on the test server, and may change in the future.
#iOS #beta
Errors When Buying Gifts
In recent days, users have been encountering issues when trying to purchase gifts on the Telegram marketplace. The two most common situations are:
1. Nothing happens when the purchase button is clicked.
2. The app displays an error message with the code STARGIFT_RESELL_TOO_EARLY_xxxxxxx, where xxxxxxx is a number.
The cause of these errors lies in the fact that the marketplace may display gifts that are not actually available for purchase.
This is because, as of May 13, Telegram introduced a rule stating that a gift cannot be listed for resale until 21 days have passed since it was received or upgraded by its current owner. However, gifts that were listed for resale before this rule came into effect still appear in the resale list, but they cannot be purchased.
If the app displays the STARGIFT_RESELL_TOO_EARLY_xxxxxxx error when attempting to buy a gift, the xxxxxxx number represents the number of seconds remaining until the gift becomes available for purchase. Divide this number by 86,400 to find out how many days remain before you can buy the gift.
#Gifts
New Rules for Boost-Based Level Ups
The May 9, 2025 update not only gave users several new features but also simplified how channels achieve level ups.
Unfortunately, at the time of the update, the official Telegram website provided no information about the new rules for calculating the number of boosts a channel must receive to move to a particular level.
The @tginfo team is publishing the results of its own investigation into the new mechanism in its article: https://tginfo.me/new-levels-ranking-en
You can find out how many boosts your channel needs to reach a level in our Mini-App calculator.
#FAQ #boosts
Suggested Posts for Channels
A new setting in the Telegram for macOS beta version 11.9.272252 will allow channel admins to enable a "Post Suggestions" feature, letting them receive messages from users in exchange for stars, reports the "cosegram" channel.
The channel will earn 85% of the submission's price, regardless of whether the message is actually published. It's also worth noting that the messenger doesn't currently offer an option to accept these submissions for free. The minimum cost for a message is 1 star.
This feature is not yet functional and is in the early stages of development. How it works may change in the future.
#macOS
Scammers Steal NFT Gifts Using Business Chatbots
A scam is spreading on Telegram involving the theft of NFT gifts by connecting a business chatbot to the victim's account.
How the scheme works:
• Scammers deceive the victim into connecting the chatbot and granting it a set of permissions, including the ability to manage gifts. For example, they may ask the victim to test the bot in exchange for a reward.
• Once access is given, the bot automatically transfers all NFT gifts from the victim's profile to the scammers.
Important security tip:
• Access to your account should only be given to trusted bots from reliable services.
How to protect yourself:
• Never give unknown bots permission to manage accounts.
• Always check what specific permissions the bot is requesting before adding it.
• Do not believe promises of easy money for “simple actions.”
#gifts #hacking
Telegram for Android Updated to Version 11.9.2, Telegram for iOS Updated to Version 11.10
The following features are now available to users in the new version of the applications:
Group calls with enhanced security
• End-to-end encryption: Calls are protected with end-to-end encryption, and participants can verify security using four emojis displayed on their screens.
• Blockchain-like technology: Used to prevent hidden connections from third parties, including Telegram itself.
• Spontaneous conferences: You can now create calls without first creating a group – ideal for work meetings or chatting with friends and family.
Automation for Telegram Business
• Chatbots for accounts: Premium users can connect third-party bots to automate messages, manage profiles, and stories.
• Flexible permission settings: Bot permissions can be configured through options like "Manage Messages" or "Manage Profile" with detailed controls.
Gift system improvements
• Gift type selection: Premium users can restrict which types of gifts they receive – such as "Unique" or "Limited" gifts.
• Visibility management: Ability to hide certain gifts in your profile or show them only to selected contacts.
Moderation and appeals
• Account freezing: Users who violate the rules now receive a "frozen account" status with the right to appeal directly via the Telegram interface.
• Faster reporting: Ability to report and block unwanted contacts in a single tap.
New gestures in the interface
• Quick forwarding: Hold the "Share" button to instantly send a post to "Saved Messages" or recent chats.
• Creating stories on iOS: Swiping right on the stories bar opens the story editor-just like the gesture in the chat list.
Article: https://telegram.org/blog/group-calls-made-easy
How to Update
• Android: Download from Google Play, APK from the official website, or the verified channel.
• iOS: Download from the App Store.
#update #Android #iOS
Group Calls With E2E Encryption in Beta Version
Users of the beta version of Telegram for Android 11.9.1 may now participate in group calls with end-to-end encryption.
To create a group call, navigate to “Calls › Start New Call” from the drawer and tap “Create Call Link”. The application will create a link to the group call in the form of t.me/call, which you need to send to the users you want to invite to the call.
Group call participants have the following options:
• Muting the microphone
• Broadcasting the main or front camera
• Adding new participants to the call (taking into account their privacy settings) and sharing the call link
• Minimizing the call screen to allow them to use the application while in a call
End-to-end encryption protects group calls from eavesdropping: all call data is encrypted so that only call participants can decrypt it.
#Android #beta #Calls
Telegram Begins Revocation of Fraudulently Obtained Stars, Gifts, and Premium Subscriptions
Some Telegram users have received notifications from the official Telegram account stating that their Stars, gifts, and Premium subscriptions have been revoked.
This action occurs when senders gift items to other users and later initiate chargebacks — likely through their bank. As a result, the funds are returned to the sender, and the gifted items or subscriptions are revoked from the recipient.
The @tginfo editorial team has no information on what happens if recipients have already spent the Stars by the time the revocation occurs.
Updated at 07:30 UTC
1. Users probably could request refunds not only from banks, but also from app stores.
2. If users paid for a purchase from a bot with stars, and then request a refund of the funds paid for these stars, and the bank returns the funds, then the corresponding stars are revoked from the bot balance.
3. After the stars are revoked, the balance can be less than zero.
#Stars #Gifts #Premium
Telegram Desktop Has Been Updated to Version 5.13.1
What's new
5.13.0:
• Allow transferring my unique gifts from Send Gift section.
• Edit type of gifts you accept in Settings > Privacy and Security.
• Swipe navigation using swipe gesture on touchpads / touchscreens.
• Choose chat list quick action for swipe or middle click.
5.13.1:
• Fix crash in group/channel stories.
Download: official website or GitHub.
#update #desktop
Telegram Premium Weekly Subscription for Receiving SMS Messages
The beta version of Telegram for Android 11.9 mentions a weekly Telegram Premium subscription.
The platform may limit some users' ability to receive SMS messages with one-time codes. The messenger may start prompting such users to subscribe to Telegram Premium for 1 week.
The price of such a subscription is currently unknown.
❗ In 2021, SMS authorization costs reached a quarter of the company's total expenses.
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Try: @InsideAds_bot
#ad
Telegram Retroactively Shortened Gift-to-Stars Exchange Period to 7 Days
Starting March 17, Telegram now only allows users to exchange a received gift for stars within 7 days of receiving it. Once that window has passed, the “Convert” button on the gift screen disappears.
❗ In some cases, the “Convert” button may still be visible, but tapping it results in an error message.
❗ The new seven-day limit even applies to gifts received before this change took effect. Gifts obtained before March 11, 2025, can no longer be exchanged for stars — despite Telegram originally promising a 90-day exchange window at the time of receipt.
Some Details About Telegram Moderation from the eSafety Investigation
Telegram is tight-lipped regarding its structure and internal processes. However, as the number of users grows, so does the pressure on the company: regulators around the world are demanding greater transparency, especially when it comes to user safety.
In March 2024, the Australian internet safety regulator eSafety began an investigation into Telegram's moderation practices. The @tginfo editors have studied the published document, in which the messenger discloses to the regulator some details about the operation of systems that block illegal content.
If you're interested in learning how Telegram balances privacy and security, how many reports are processed by moderators versus algorithms, and how automatic content scanning works, we recommend reading our analysis.
https://tginfo.me/esafety-analysis-en/
#antispam
Telegram Changes The Behavior of Options When Deleting Messages
In the latest versions of Telegram's mobile applications, the behavior of the options "Report spam," "Delete all from...," and "Ban..." has been changed on the screen that group administrators see when deleting messages.
However, the behavior of these options differs between Telegram for Android and Telegram for iOS:
• Telegram for Android now remembers the state of checkboxes for these options when deleting a message and will restore the saved settings the next time a message is deleted.
• The Beta version of Telegram for iOS now always displays the options as enabled.
Some administrators are unhappy with these changes.
Firstly, they were used to all options being disabled by default. Now, they sometimes delete messages and ban users by mistake, simply forgetting to turn off the options that are enabled by default.
Secondly, group administrators do not understand why the app developers assume that if a message was previously deleted along with a complaint and a user ban, the administrator would want to do the same next time.
Which behavior do you prefer? Cast your vote in our poll.
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#ad
Outages in many Telegram services
Our subscribers report that Telegram's data center in Europe (DC2) has been experiencing interruptions since 20:15 UTC.
Symptoms: groups and channels are slow to open, messages and pictures are not being sent in large chats.
Upd 17.05.2025 08:33 UTC
Issue is fixed
#outages
Advertising in Bots Can Now Be Paid With Fiat Currency
Telegram Ads has launched in-bot advertising paid for in euros and rubles, according to OneSpot. Previously, such ads could only be paid for using TON or Telegram Stars.
Important: Unlike payments made in TON, fiat currency payments through Telegram Ads allow advertisers to not only choose specific bots but also to select advertising topics. This is currently only available to advertising agencies.
Key Details:
• Ads are available in bots with more than 1,000 daily users.
• Minimum CPM is €1.
• You can select up to 9 specific bots or ad topics.
• Ad interactions are only available within Telegram - no external links.
• Geotargeting is not supported.
#AboutAds
Telegram for Android and iOS Updated to Version 11.11.0
Telegram's second major update in May brought the following features to users:
Marketplace for Collectible Gifts
• Safe Trading: Users can buy and sell unique gifts for Telegram Stars through the built-in marketplace.
• Filters: Search for specific models, backdrops, or symbols to collect.
• Resale System: The ability to put collectible gifts up for sale by setting the own price.
Publication of Multiple Stories
• Group Upload: Select and share multiple photos or videos at once.
• Auto Split: Long videos (more than 60 seconds) are automatically split into a series of stories.
• Easy Editing: Optimized interface for working with multiple content.
Auto Translation for Channels
• Global Audience: Channel owners can enable automatic translation for all users.
• Personalization: Followers see messages in their own preferred language.
• Expanded Reach: Content is made available to an international audience without additional effort.
Easier Access to Functions
• Reduced Requirements: Reduced the number of boosts required to unlock additional channel features.
• Feature Availability: Features that require a high channel level are now more accessible to channel owners.
How to Update
• Android: Download from Google Play, APK from the official website, or the verified channel.
• iOS: Download from the App Store.
#update #Android #iOS
Reselling Collectible Gifts
Users of Telegram Beta for Android 11.11.0 (5922) now can list their unique gifts for sale. To do this, simply open one of your collectible gifts, tap the “Resell” button, and set your desired price.
When you list a gift, other users will be able to see it and purchase it at the price you've set. You'll receive 80% of the sale price, with the remaining 20% going to Telegram as a fee.
To remove a gift from sale, open it and tap the “Unlist” button.
Currently, this feature is only operational on the test server.
#Android #gifts
Telegram Desktop Updated To Version 5.14.1
What's new?
• Group audio and video calls now support conferences: quick start, inviting multiple participants at once, managing invitations, converting regular calls into conferences, reconnecting, separate incoming call window, "Join Call" button in link previews, sharing conference links, improved navigation and participant management.
• New interface for creating group calls directly from chats.
• New section for birthdays and a special status for contacts whose birthday is tomorrow.
• Birthday reminders, premium offers, balance top-up, and subscription renewal options.
• New settings section for changing email and entering login confirmation codes.
• Support for Device Storage in web applications.
• Numerous fixes and stability improvements.
Download:
• Windows/macOS/Linux: Official website or GitHub.
• Windows: Microsoft Store.
• Linux: Flathub, Snapcraft.
#update #desktop
A new mode has been added to the Inside Ads – bot for channel growth and monetization – Fair Cross-Promotion. Grow your channels on autopilot.
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Connect your channel
#df
Telegram Allows You to Buy Ads That Will be Displayed in Search Results
The official advertising platform Telegram Ads now allows you to buy ads that will be displayed in search results. Advertisers can now select keywords and configure other parameters, as in regular advertising campaigns.
The platform informs the user that the ad will not be displayed to users from Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine.
updated at 19:27 UTC
If you buy search advertising for TON, then such advertising will not be shown to users from Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Palestine.
And if you buy such advertising for stars, for example, when withdrawing stars from the balance of a channel, group or bot, then it will be shown to all users regardless of their country.
#aboutads
Sending Messages to the Past
Lines were found in the Telegram source code that a new feature might soon let users send messages to the past.
When sending a message in a private chat, Telegram Premium subscribers will be able to select any moment in time within the past 12 months. The sent message will appear in the corresponding place in the conversation.
If you receive a message from the future anytime soon — don’t worry! It simply means that this feature has been released in the stable version of an upcoming app release. By the way, if you don’t have a paid subscription yet, congratulations! You will in the near future — otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to send messages to the past.
Telegram for Android and iOS Updated to Version 11.9
The following features are now available to users in the new version of the applications:
New Privacy Settings for Gifts
Premium users can now choose the types of gifts they want to receive from others:
• Limited-Edition gifts
• Unlimited gifts
• Unique gifts
• Premium Subscription gifts
Additionally, a gift button can now be enabled in the message input field in private chats.
Chat Bot Permission Settings
A new option in "Telegram for Business" allows users to fine-tune chat bot permissions. The settings are divided into four categories:
• Message management
• Profile management
• Gift and star management
• Story management
To access advanced bot permission settings, the bot must first be added in "Telegram for Business › Chat Bots". This feature is available only for Telegram Premium subscribers.
Additionally, the apps now include:
• Service messages about refunded stars used for sending private chat.
• New animations when pressing and holding gifts.
• A notification when the pinned gift limit (6) is reached, allowing users to unpin a previous one.
• Support for local data storage in mini-apps.
How to Update
• Android: Download from Google Play, APK from the official website, or the verified channel.
• iOS: Download from the App Store.
#update #Android #iOS
Ads in Telegram Search Results
New strings in the beta version of Telegram for Android 11.9 suggest that advertising may soon appear in search results within the app.
According to these strings, the new ad system will function as follows:
• Ads will be based solely on search queries and will not use users' personal data.
• Telegram Premium subscribers will have the option to disable ads entirely.
• Anyone can place ads in search results through the Telegram ad platform.
#aboutAds #search
Telegram Surpasses One Billion Monthly Active Users
Pavel Durov announced on his channel that Telegram has surpassed 1 billion monthly active users. This achievement makes the messaging app the second most popular in the world after WhatsApp (excluding China's WeChat).
On average, users open Telegram approximately 21 times a day and spend 41 minutes daily on the app. Pavel also highlighted the profit of $547 million for 2024.
#statistics
Various Services Now Deliver Verification Codes via Telegram
In October 2024, Telegram launched Gateway — a new solution for delivering one-time authentication codes directly to phone numbers.
• Telegram Gateway enables websites and apps to send authentication codes to users via the phone number linked to their Telegram account.
• This service provides an alternative to the less reliable and more expensive SMS texts.
• Similar services are offered by WhatsApp and Viber. Telegram claims its version is more affordable than competitors.
• Codes arrive via the @VerificationCodes bot, which can contact users even if they never interacted with it before.
• Companies can only send codes containing between 4 and 8 characters.
Over the past several months, an increasing number of users worldwide have reported receiving verification codes in Telegram from prominent services like Facebook, Google, Amazon, PSN, Coinbase, and Tinder. As these services seem to use Telegram Gateway selectively rather than consistently, @tginfo's editors have been unable to confirm whether all mentioned companies actively utilize Telegram Gateway.
It's unclear to @tginfo if these platforms have direct partnerships with Telegram or if intermediaries have independently integrated the Gateway service. Additionally, no public announcements or mentions of such collaborations from established SMS gateway providers could be found by our editorial team.
In the cases known to @tginfo, the mentioned services don't provide any specific indication when codes are sent via Telegram, typically stating instead that the code was delivered via SMS.
#gateway
Telegram May Introduce ‘Frozen’ Accounts for Rule Violators
The @tginfo editors have discovered new strings in Unigram's source code, indicating that the messenger may soon introduce the ability to put user accounts into a “frozen” state in an upcoming update.
Based on these strings, one can speculate:
• Accounts could be frozen for violating Telegram's Terms and Conditions.
• While frozen, users “can access their account but cannot send messages or perform any actions”. A frozen account would operate in “read-only mode”. Presumably, this restriction would even extend to private messaging with contacts.
• Telegram may offer users the option to appeal this decision through @SpamBot. If the freeze is not lifted, the account will be deleted.
• It is possible that other users may see a special indicator on profiles of frozen accounts.
• It remains unclear if “freezing” will be used to all permanently banned accounts before they are deleted.
This feature is still under development, and the above information consists of assumptions by @tginfo editors. Details could be inaccurate or subject to future changes.
#antispam