Telegram Info English

5000 subscribers of Telegram Info English and search for volunteers

Our international community is growing every day. Today, our English channel @tginfoen already has 5,000 subscribers, and the @tginfochaten chat almost 1,000 members.

We want to get to know our readers better, so we are launching a survey for your place of residence. If your country is not in the poll, write it in the comments to this post.

In addition to @tginfoen we have channels in over 20 @tginfoworld languages ​​and our international team needs help with translations. If you are ready to help us: write to @infowritebot.

The speech to text feature is safe

Pavel Durov explained why using Google's speech to text service from Telegram format is a safe and optimal solution:

— Telegram does not share users' personal data with Google.
— Telegram never sends audio data to third parties.
— Google can't make use of the depersonalized sound data other than converting them into text and returning them back.
— It was easier for Telegram to deploy its own free solution, or just use a service from smaller companies, but it would leave negative impacts on the quality of the results.
— Trusting Google remains as personal choice of Telegram Premium subscribers.

This information regarding the speech to text feature was obtained from the Telegram Privacy Policy (clause 8.5).

3% of Telegram users with Premium subscription will cover the server costs

Pavel Durov announced the required number of Telegram Premium subscribers to cover Telegram's server costs.

"The beauty of Telegram Premium is that if just 2,5-3% of our users sign up for this subscription, Telegram will cover its costs, supported purely by its users. This will herald a new, user-centric era in the history of social media services."

How to suspend Telegram Premium?

Many users who paid for Telegram Premium through the verified @PremiumBot ask about how to cancel a paid subscription so that Telegram does not deduct money from your bank card every month?

To stop all future payments, just send the /stop command in the chat with @PremiumBot. To open the chat, just type the address of the bot in the messenger's search bar or find the chat with it in your chat list.

You can control the current subscription status and the date of the next payment by going to Settings › Telegram Premium section › Information under the list of all subscription benefits. From there, you can similarly go to the bot and suspend the Premium subscription.

#FAQ

Bot API was updated to version 6.1

What's new:
— To support 4GB files uploaded by premium accounts, file_size in most media classes can no longer be stored in a signed 32-bit integer type.
— Bots can now distinguish premium Users and Stickers with the new respective fields is_premium and premium_animation.
— Added several methods and fields to the class WebApp to handle API version, additional colors, haptic feedback and more.
— Added the events backButtonClicked, settingsButtonClicked and invoiceClosed.
— Updated ThemeParams, MainButton and WebAppInitData with new fields and methods.
— Bots can now process join requests created without an invite link — they will still receive a chat_join_request update.
— HTTP links for invoices can be generated with the new createInvoiceLink method.
— Bots can now detect when a user added them to their attachment menu via the new added_to_attachment_menu field. Integrated bots can now also be used in groups, supergroups and channels.

See the full changelog for details on the official website.

#update #BotAPI

Iranian and German users receive limited perks

Users with Iranian phone numbers report it's possible for them to purchase Premium, but they don't receive a star badge in their profile and don't have their video avatar played in loop.

German users report it's impossible for them to buy Premium at all.

#premium

700 Million Users and Telegram Premium ⁠ Telegram for iOS, Android and Unigram client has been updated to version 8.8. Update for Telegram Desktop is still expected. For now a subscription can only be issued through the App Store. Telegram now has over…

The Android app update was released to the website

Version 8.8.2 for Android is already available at the official website.
Full changelog is here.

Premium cannot be purchased yet, as the bot is currently inactive. The launch of the bot for all users will be announced separately.

Smart Glocal, the official Telegram partner and developer of the @donate bot, announced (in Russian) that it is also responsible for the @PremiumBot bot.

This bot can be trusted as it was created together with the Telegram team. Most likely, this payment system is designed to circumvent Apple's prohibition on setting a lower price when bypassing the App Store payment system.

UPD. Some users complain about the new reactions missing after the update — you may try uninstalling and then reinstalling the app to fix that.

#update #Android #premium

Telegram Premium: additional account slots aren't so simple

Telegram Desktop developer explained how Telegram Premium multi account limits work.

As a beginning, a user gets 3 account slots for free. Premium subscription adds a single new slot per each Premium account you signed in with, up to 6 slots in total.

This way, subscribing for Telegram Premium from a single account allows you to add up to 4 accounts in total, but to have 6 slots you will need to subscribe from 3 different accounts.

You can't subscribe for Premium in different accounts from a single App Store / Google Play powered device, since these app stores don't support subscribing for the same subscription multiple times simultaneously.

Only Telegram Desktop can extend its limit up to 6 accounts by this scheme — other apps don't do that yet.

#premium

700 Million Users and Telegram Premium ⁠ Telegram for iOS, Android and Unigram client has been updated to version 8.8. Update for Telegram Desktop is still expected. For now a subscription can only be issued through the App Store. Telegram now has over…

Add media to bot descriptions

@BotFather now allows setting a photo or a GIF to the bot description (aka "What can this bot do?").

To do it for a bot you own, open @BotFather › send /mybots command › choose your bot › select "Edit Bot", and then "Edit Description Picture".
You can either set a 640x360 image or a 320x180 GIF animation.

Earlier we have also mentioned it being used for some Telegram's official bots ahead of its general availability.

Premium can help combatting spammers

A verified @PremiumJoinBot bot was created which allows you to create chats, that only Premium users can join automatically. Admins can still accept regular users manually — this bot can be used to combat spammers.

When the user sends a join request, the bot checks the user for an active subscription and adds them to the group automatically. If the user doesn't have the subscription, the admins can verify them manually.

For the filter to work, group must have join requests activated, and the bot should have admin rights.

#premium

700 Million Users and Telegram Premium
⁠
Telegram for iOS, Android and Unigram client has been updated to version 8.8.
Update for Telegram Desktop is still expected. For now a subscription can only be issued through the App Store.

Telegram now has over 700 million active users. To celebrate, we're launching Telegram Premium. This subscription helps support Telegram and gives you access to exclusive additional features. All existing Telegram features remain free for everyone.

Telegram Premium

4 GB Uploads
• Send media and files each up to 4 GB in size.

Faster Downloads
• Download media and files at the fastest possible speed, with no limits.

Doubled Limits
• Follow up to 1000 channels.
• Connect 4 accounts in any app.
• Organize your chats into 20 folders, holding 200 chats each.
• Pin 10 chats in your main list.
• Reserve up to 20 public t.me links.
• Save 400 favorite GIFs and 10 favorite stickers.
• Write a longer bio for your profile and include links.
• Include longer captions for photos and videos.

Voice-to-Text
• Get a new button next to any voice message to generate a transcript of its audio.

Unique Reactions and Stickers
• React with even more emoji, including :clown: and :hearteyes:
• Send unique stickers with additional effects, updated monthly.

Chat Management
• Set a default chat folder or enable tools to auto-archive and hide new chats.

Badges and Animated Profile Pictures
• Subscribers have a badge next to their name, showing they help support Telegram.
• Show off your profile video that will be animated for everyone in chats and the chat list.

No Ads
• Sponsored Messages that are sometimes shown in public channels will no longer appear.

App Icons
• Choose from several new Telegram icons for your home screen.

To subscribe and get access to these features, go to Settings > Telegram Premium.

New free features:
This update also includes many changes for all users – just like every future update will.

Join Requests for Public Groups
• Enable join requests for your public groups – no invite links required.
• Users who open the group will see an 'Apply to Join Group' button.
• Once approved by an admin, users will be able to participate in the chat.

Improved External Sharing
• Watch an animated progress bar when sharing large files and media to Telegram from other apps.

Verification Badges in Chats
• Verified groups and channels now also show their badge at the top of the chat.

Better Bots
• Include a photo or video in the "What can this bot do?" section of your bot.
• Bots that are integrated into the attachment menu can be programmed to work in groups and channels.

Improved support for ProMotion displays
• Smooth 120 FPS animations on all new iPads and iPhones.

Faster and Stronger
• Over 100 fixes and optimizations to improve speed and reliability.

Android: Google Play, APK from official website or verified channel.
iOS: App Store.
Telegram Desktop: with official website or GitHub.
Telegram for macOS: from App Store or verified channel.
Unigram for Windows 10: Microsoft Store | Download | Installation help

#update #Android #iOS #Desktop #macOS #Unigram

Photos in bot descriptions

In the future, bot developers might gain the ability to add a photo or GIF animation next to their bots' description (also known as "What can this bot do?").

This feature is implemented for both @DurgerKingBot and @PremiumBot. They're currently viewable in the Beta Version of Telegram for Android.

It is unknown whether the feature will be available to all bot developers or only to specific ones.

Telegram bot for buying a Premium subscription

Telegram has a new bot for purchasing a Premium subscription within the messenger: @PremiumBot.

The editors of Telegram Info noticed that attempting to start the bot using an unofficial Telegram clients will display an error: “Unfortunately, this function is not available in your version of the application”. We therefore assume that it will be possible to buy a Premium subscription only in official clients.

At the moment, the bot is not working, and the GIF animation in the bot description can only be seen in the Beta version of Telegram for Android, available at @betainfo.

#premium

Telegram X is now open source

Telegram X is now fully open source. This release includes extra tools and measures to eliminate the possibility of client-side backdoors, makes code review and security research easier, and provides the ability for anyone to participate in Telegram X development.

• Each Telegram X version now includes information about the source code used to make it. This allows you to easily verify the code of the exact version you are using at any time from the Settings page.
• After you update to the first open source version, each future update will also allow you to check the new changes made to the source code.
• If you have an access to the installation APK file, you can verify that it was built by the Telegram X creator and was not modified by any third-party by sending its hash (MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-256) to the new official @tgx_bot or look it up in the by finding it in the @tgx_log channel.
• To confirm that the source code inside the APK corresponds to the source code linked in Settings, you can reproduce the APK using the guide available in README and verify that the compiled code is exactly the same. Every public Telegram X build is reproducible, that includes all beta versions uploaded to Google Play Beta.

On top of all that, a public chat has been created for communication between the developers of Telegram X. A link to it can be found in the repository.

Source code: https://github.com/TGX-Android/Telegram-X

#android #telegramX

Telegram X Android updated to stable version 0.24.9

Improved Video Playback
• Videos can now start playing before the file is fully downloaded.
• A video will pause its download when you close the video player.
• Tap a new button to download a video file without opening it in the player.
• All video files support these features – similar to how audio files currently function.

Read receipts in groups
• Tap your messages in small groups to see which members have read them.

Emoji 14.0
• Telegram X now supports all new emoji from the Emoji 14.0 update.
• Updated Microsoft emoji pack

Device Management
• Control which devices can receive calls and Secret Chats in Settings — Devices.
• Set devices to automatically log out after a certain period of inactivity.
• Improved overall look by adding icons

And much more
• Share stickers that use .webm format, like Utya 3D.
• Properly view chats with protected content.
• Add spoiler formatting in messages.
• Create join requests for your chat using invite links with admin approval.
• See reply context in forwarded messages.
• Stay informed about questionable accounts – flagged accounts now show a SCAM/FAKE tag.
• Clear the chat history of group chats for everyone.
• Check the number of views on Instant View pages.
• Several bug fixes and optimizations.

Download from Google Play, or from official channel @tgx_log.

#android #telegramX #update

Telegram X Android Competition: Round 1

Prize fund for Round 1: $25,000.
Deadline: 23:59 on July 2nd (Dubai time).
Who can participate: Everyone.
Results announcement: July 12th, 2022.

The Task is to implement message reactions identical to the demo materials of TGX Reactions.zip attached below, including all the animations, layouts, and other visual effects:

• You should use the Telegram X source code available on GitHub.
• You must avoid using an existing codebase of the same functionality from other Telegram clients.
• Final result must be submitted as the ready-to-merge pull request to the repository on the deadline date.

Your pull request should support:
1. Sending a reaction to each message type in private chats, groups, and channels. When holding down an emoji in the reactions panel, the app is expected to display a full-screen animation effect once the reaction is sent.
2. Allowing a user to set their preferred Quick Reaction in Settings.
3. Accessing the list of reacted users in groups in the following ways:
• Press and hold the specific reaction button for a quick view.
• Open the 'Reacted' list to show a multi-tab interface, with individual sections for each reaction emoji. Users should be able to switch tabs via a swipe gesture.
4. Turning message reactions on or off in group and channel management – including the ability for admins to disable and enable individual reaction emoji from the list.
5. Display an unseen reaction badge both in the chat list and inside the conversation.

Evaluation Criteria:
1. The overall code quality will be a top priority, aside animations smoothness and overall stability. Make sure to get familiar with the project structure and guide for contributors before getting started. Reactions code should keep in mind possible future use on other screens outside of the task (i.e. placing reactions through shared media).
2. The implemented features should not impact existing functions, like causing the app to crash when interacting with other features.
3. Ensure the app is free of major glitches, interface jumps, and severe layout issues.
4. Your app should run smoothly on a wide range of devices. In the evaluation stage, we will test with several devices, including Samsung Galaxy (A51, S10, S21 Ultra), Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro, and more.
5. Implementing a clearly better stickers render (i.e. less disk space usage, better FPS, less CPU usage) will be considered a major advantage, but only in case of completing all other parts of the task.
6. Attempts to impersonate someone else's work (i.e. submitting a copy of someone else's pull request) would lead to permanent disqualification from Telegram X contests and any potential reward systems in the future.

Submissions:
Contestants will be able to submit their entries to @ContestBot at the end of this round. We will further clarify the submission instructions closer to the deadline.

P.S. For the next stage, we expect to only invite contestants who achieved 3rd place or higher in this round.

Telegram Premium might be not available in some regions

Telegram Info discovered a flag in Telegram's API schema that allows the messenger to disable the ability to buy Premium for some users.

Beta version of Telegram Desktop contains some strings, that allow us to assume, that this will be used to disable Telegram Premium for some unavailable regions. Probably, region detection will work as it did before — based off user's linked phone number country.

#premium

Telegram Premium will be more expensive in App Store

Users have discovered that App Store already displays the price tag for the upcoming Telegram Premium subscription. When buying with App Store, the subscription will cost $4.99 monthly. This is more expensive, than the base price, which is set to be $3.99.

The price difference is explained by Apple's 15-30% fee from all purchases made with their payment system. It's expected that you will be able to get Telegram Premium for cheaper on the official website or in a bot.

#premium

Animated avatars

• Video avatars will be animated not only when the user’s profile is expanded, but also in the chat list and the dialogs themselves.

• For users without Telegram Premium, video avatars will remain static on a pre-selected frame until expanded to full screen.

See what's coming with Telegram Premium in the post

#premium

Profile badge

• A distinctive star badge placed next to a subscriber’s name will make you stand out from other users.

See what's coming with Telegram Premium in the post

#premium

Faster download speed

• Paying subscribers will be able to download the necessary files many times faster than before — due to a higher priority for such downloads.

See what's coming with Telegram Premium in the post

#premium

Recognize speech in voice messages

• Now you don’t have to listen to voice messages: recognize an incoming audio message with just a single click and convert the voice into a convenient text format.

• The text will be displayed right below the voice message inside the same bubble.

See what's coming with Telegram Premium in the post

#premium

No advertising

• Sponsored posts, which are natively displayed at the end of the feed after you’ve read all
the posts, will no longer appear in large public channels.

See what's coming with Telegram Premium in the post

#premium

Downloads up to 4GB

• Telegram Premium users will be able to upload large files up to 4GB to the messenger’s cloud.

• Users that will not purchase a subscription will still be able to send media up to 2GB.

• Each user will be able to download files up to 4 GB files.

• Telegram's storage is still limitless for every Telegram user.

See what's coming with Telegram Premium in the post

#premium

How is Telegram Premium going to look like

A few videos surfaced that give us a sneak peak on how Telegram Premium features will look like.

• Upload files up to 4 GB and download files at a faster speed
• Recognize speech in voice messages and turn it to text
• Get rid of the ads
• An exclusive profile badge
• Always-playing animated avatars

You can see all the features in actions and learn more about them in the article.

You can't buy Telegram Premium yet.

#premium

Pay for Telegram Premium with Google Play and App Store

From the Telegram Desktop GitHub repository, it became known that it will be possible to pay for Telegram Premium with Google Play and App Store in-app purchases.

Also, according to the updated app strings, the messenger team is preparing the foundation for recurring payments through bots. It's likely this is being done for the special bot you will be able to buy Premium from. It's still unknown if recurring payments will be available for regular developers.

#premium #update

Telegram's popularity in Russia has doubled since February

The number of users who accessed Telegram at least once a day in May has increased to 40 million by June, as Mediascope estimates. Since April, the metric has increased by almost 10 million users.

Social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that were banned in Russia after the beginning of the war continue to lose users. If before the war in Ukraine, the average daily reach for Instagram in Russia was 39 million people, by mid-April it fell to 14.5 million, and by the end of May — to 11.7 million. Facebook's coverage collapsed from 6.7 million users per day first to 2.9 million people, and then to 1.9 million, as Mediascope estimates. The Meta Platforms (Facebook's mother company) was labeled as an extremist organization by the Russian government, thus, most of its services were banned. Despite, that, Russia avoids blocking WhatsApp, seeing its popularity in Russia.

In contrast, Telegram leads at filling the vacant niche. After beginning of the Russia's invasion into Ukraine, people's demand for information from various sides greatly increased. Telegram became the main platform where this information could be promptly obtained.

Graph of the growth of the top 20 Russian Telegram channels over 3 months.

#statistics