Telegram sold virtual April Fools’ bricks worth almost 100 million rubles

Telegram reported a successful April Fools’ Day sale of limited-edition gifts. According to the messenger, users bought a total of seven thousand virtual April Fools’ Day gifts in the form of a brick in just half an hour, for a total of between 58 million and almost 100 million rubles. The final amount in rubles depends on the exchange rate of Telegram’s internal digital currency, which differs significantly for owners of Android and iOS devices.

Image source: unsplash.com

The limited virtual brick sale started on April 1 at 1:57 Moscow time, and by 2:31 all seven thousand priceless April Fool’s gifts were sold out. One brick was valued at 5 thousand stars in Telegram’s internal currency. The rate of stars depends on the device used. For iPhone owners, 5,000 stars will cost ₽13,690, while for Android users the same number of stars will cost significantly less – only ₽8,229.

The messenger did not provide data on the ratio of these and other devices among the lucky buyers of April Fool’s bricks. Thus, the amount of ruble revenue is in the range between 58 million and 95.8 million rubles.

The recipient of an exclusive April Fool’s Day gift in the form of a red brick with the inscription “1 Apr” can pin it to their profile in the messenger. There was also an opportunity to resell it at an auction in Telegram or exchange it for stars, but at a reduced rate.

Image source: Telegram

In the run-up to February 14, a date that is promoted as “Valentine’s Day” as a result of a global marketing conspiracy, Telegram successfully sold two thousand virtual digital heart pendants worth 10,000 stars in just six minutes. Virtual bracelets were even more popular: 5,000 of these digital gifts were sold out at the same price as the pendants in 21 minutes.

Telegram, which is developed by just 50 people full-time, has grown in popularity over the past few years and has become a vital means of communication for governments and officials around the world, as well as a lifeline for citizens in conflict zones. On March 19, the messenger’s founder and CEO Pavel Durov announced that it had surpassed the 1 billion monthly active users barrier, making it the second most popular messaging app in the world (excluding China’s WeChat).