The number of users of the Telegram messenger with a paid Premium subscription has exceeded 10 million. The company’s founder and CEO Pavel Durov announced this in his Telegram channel.
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The Telegram Premium paid subscription service was launched in June 2022. Premium owners get the ability to download files at higher speeds up to 4 GB in size, turn off ads, transcribe voice messages, use premium stickers, etc. The milestone of 1 million Premium subscribers was reached in December 2022.
Durov also said that today Telegram introduced new functions, but at the same time is gradually abandoning several others. In particular, the “People Nearby” feature, added in 2019, was removed. It was used by less than 0.1% of Telegram users, but it was associated with problems with bots and scammers. Instead, the “Businesses Nearby” option will be launched, allowing users to get acquainted with verified companies that will be able to post product catalogs on the platform and accept payments.
The ability to upload new media to Telegraph, a standalone blogging tool that could be used inappropriately, was also disabled.
Durov noted that 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, but the 0.001% involved in illegal activities create a negative image for the entire platform, putting the interests of almost 1 billion users at risk. “That’s why this year we’re aiming to move Telegram moderation from the realm of criticism to the realm of praise,” he concluded.