Telegram update released – affiliate programs, AI search for stickers and collages

Telegram developers have released another major update for their messenger. Along with it, channel owners received a new way to monetize content and earn stars, and mini-application developers received a tool to attract new users. In addition to this, a search function for stickers based on artificial intelligence has appeared, as well as a tool for creating collages from photos and videos in published stories.

Image source: Telegram

The new update introduces support for affiliate programs for mini-applications, which are transparent and publicly accessible. All Telegram users and channels can earn stars in affiliate programs from mini-application developers, and the list of available campaigns is displayed in the “Star Balance” settings section. To participate, just select a suitable program, receive a referral link and share it with your audience.

When a user follows a referral link and makes purchases using stars in the mini-app, the program participant will receive a commission, the amount of which depends on the number of stars spent. Commissions will be credited to your balance online. Thus, affiliate programs should become an easy way for channel owners to earn stars, which they can use at their own discretion.

It has also become easier for Telegram users to search for the most suitable stickers. Now an AI algorithm is used for this, and the sticker panel now has support for processing complex queries with multiple keywords. The updated sticker search supports queries in dozens of languages. Telegram Premium subscribers will also be able to use AI search in the emoji section.

More space for creativity has appeared in Telegram stories. After the update, you can create collages here by combining up to six photos or videos into a single story and choosing the order in which they are arranged. To create a composition, just add media files from the gallery or from the device’s camera and fill the cells of the collage with them. If necessary, you can customize the collages to your liking, for example, select one of the available layouts at the top of the screen, swap fragments, and adjust the video volume.

Users can also place captions for media files at the top. To do this, a “Move caption to top” control has been added to the media editor. It was possible to change the position of the signature before, but now it has become more convenient to interact with this function.