Telegram introduces paid messages, dossiers on strangers and other innovations

The developers of the popular Telegram messenger continue to develop the service, adding new features to it. With the release of the next update, the platform now supports paid messages, thanks to which content authors and public figures will have more control over privacy and will be able to monetize their popularity. In addition to this, new chats now display more data about the interlocutor, and a Telegram Premium subscription can be paid for with stars.

Image source: Telegram

Telegram users who often receive messages from strangers can now charge for sending messages to people who are not on their contact list. This will allow you to protect yourself from annoying messages and also earn stars for the time you spend with strangers.

The new feature will allow you to filter unwanted messages, avoiding unnecessary overloading of the chat list, and also receive truly meaningful messages from strangers only if they are willing to pay for sending the message. Although the user will remain open to communication, he will be able to protect himself from an excessive influx of messages and spam.

A similar setting is available in groups, where it can be applied to comments in channels. This setting will help protect groups from spam, and will also encourage community members to stay on topic. In addition, for group owners, the new function will become an additional way to monetize and earn stars. There is a possibility of flexible settings, when individual users and participants will have the opportunity to send free comments.

Another innovation will be information about a stranger, which will appear if someone not on your contact list writes to you. It is expected that this approach will allow you to quickly identify a fraudster or impostor, or, conversely, to verify the reliability of the interlocutor. The information block about an unknown contact will contain various information, including their country based on their phone number, common groups with you (if any), the date of registration in the messenger, the approximate time of the last update of the username and profile photo, as well as an indication of the account status.

At the same time, the messenger now has the ability to pay for a Premium account using stars. Using stars from your account, you can fully pay for a subscription for yourself or as a gift to another user of the platform. In addition, the subscription can be regularly renewed using stars received for paid messages.

Telegram users who receive stars for incoming messages will be able to exchange them for a reward. The withdrawal of stars is organized on the Fragment platform. Users can use the reward to buy advertising, purchase collectible gifts in the TON blockchain, etc. Owners of groups whose members send paid messages will be able to view and manage the balance of stars in the group profile.

In addition to the above, the developers have implemented a number of other innovations. Now users can pin up to 6 gifts to their profile. Other users will be able to see them both on the Gifts tab and on the profile cover. The Android version of Telegram now has the ability to broadcast video recordings to Chromecast-enabled devices directly from the application. Integration with the Telegram Gateway service has appeared, which allows companies to check their customers’ numbers via the messenger for a lower fee than using standard SMS. One of the features is that you can try this service for free.