You are now set for a different experience with the "Telegram" app, as the instant messaging platform has launched a new version that includes numerous exclusive features for a monthly subscription ranging from $4.99 to $6.
The app stated that its paid version, named "Telegram Premium," will offer various benefits, such as the ability to upload files up to 4 GB, faster file upload speeds, the capability to convert voice messages to text, access to dozens of exclusive stickers, and animated profile pictures. Users subscribed to the paid service will have a blue star next to their account to distinguish them from other users. Subscribers will enjoy an experience completely free of any paid advertising messages, such as those appearing to users of the free service within public group chats.
Why did Telegram launch a paid service? Social media expert Mohamed Al-Harithi mentioned that the goal behind Telegram's launch of its paid service is to provide financial resources to continue and achieve profits amid fierce competition with "WhatsApp," which has substantial financial resources and stable infrastructure, making it the most used instant messaging app.
He added in an interview with "Sky News Arabia" that the new service "will allow the company to provide all the features it has offered to users for free over the past years, with 700 million active users monthly. The app was among the top 5 most downloaded apps in 2022. These features require substantial resources, so the app aims to provide them through a paid service."
What are the features of the paid version? Subscribers to the paid service will enjoy the ability to send data up to 4 GB, enough to send a 4-hour video in "1080p" quality or an 18-day audio clip in high quality. Users will be able to join 1,000 channels and chat groups, pin 10 chats on the app interface, reserve 10 usernames for public links on the service, and store 400 animated "GIF" images, doubling what is allowed on the free service.
Additionally, subscribers will have the capability to convert voice messages into written texts, making it easier for them to know the content of voice messages without having to listen to them. Users can set an animated profile picture for their account, allowing others to see the animation in both the chat list and within chats.
Alongside the paid service, Telegram has also introduced new features for users of its free service, such as easier access to public groups, allowing public figures and institutions to verify their channels and group chats, and enabling the creation of bot accounts to provide new services, including the ability to receive electronic payments and conduct tests for users, completely replacing websites.
Users can now control the automatic storage of received videos and photos on "Android," whether from individual or group chats or public channels. On "iOS," users can share any video or image from within any app directly to "Telegram" without needing to download the file to their phone first, saving both time and storage space.
Telegram has also improved the way chats are displayed in the main app list; by long-pressing a chat image, a user can browse messages within the chat without opening it.
A social media expert predicts that this new feature will increase users' attraction to "Telegram," given the new features it has provided, which it must offer in light of recent updates from "WhatsApp."
