The Insider’s Look at Telegram: Benefits, Functionality, and User Experience

Telegram is primarily a popular messaging app that can be used to communicate via text, audio, or video with individuals and groups of various sizes. The platform also supports a range of social media features such as Telegram channels for posting and following news, stories for making image posts that expire after 24 hours, and chat groups.

What Is Telegram?

The Telegram app and platform first launched on iOS in August 2013, and an official app for Android devices arrived in October the same year. Official Telegram apps eventually launched for Windows, Linux, and macOS computers in addition to a web version. As of March 2024, Telegram boasts more than 900 million monthly active users.

What Is the Telegram App Used For?

Telegram is mostly used for sending text messages to contacts, connecting with other people in groups, and following Telegram news channels but there are numerous other features that are popular with users.

Here’s a list of some of Telegram’s most popular tools:

• Messaging : Telegram users can write text messages to their phone contacts that have Telegram installed and other Telegram users. Emoji,Telegram stickers , GIFs, and attached media are all available in text chats.
• Groups : Telegram groups are essentially group chats for texting with a couple of friends and family members or for building a community around a topic or brand. Each Telegram group can support up to 200,000 users, and a variety of admin tools are available.
• Channels : Telegram channels work as social media profiles or news feeds that the creator can post to and others can follow. Channels can be either public or private and both types support an unlimited number of followers.
• Stories : Similar toInstagram stories , Telegram users can create vertical image posts that appear in a row at the top of the Telegram app and expire after 24 hours.
• File sharing : Telegram can send a variety of file types to other users with a size limit of 1.5 GB on each one.
• Voice chats : An unlimited number of people can participate in voice calls either as listeners or speakers. Calls can be private between contacts or as public broadcasts/podcasts in groups and channels.
• Video chats : Up to 30 users can communicate via their device’s camera in a single chat at any one time. You can also share your device’s screen and its activity in video chats.
• Business : Businesses can create professional profiles with open hours, map location, and customer support chat bots. Mini-apps can also integrate into business profiles for completing tasks (such as accepting payments from customers), all within the Telegram app.

Telegram and the vast majority of its features are completely free to use. However, you can access several enhanced aspects of the platform by signing up to the optional, paid Telegram Premium membership.

Telegram Premium costs $4.99 per month when signing up via an app store, though a discount is available for those who join within the Android, Desktop, or macOS Telegram app with thePremiumBot method .

Here’s some of the benefits that Telegram Premium unlocks:

• Faster download speeds.
• File size limit increased from 1.5 GB to 4 GB.
• More emoji reactions and stickers.
• Real-time language translation tools.
• No ads.
• Channel follow limit increased from 500 to 1,000.
• Extra customization options and features for channels.
• Four boosts to use on Telegram.

How Do Telegram Boosts Work?

Telegram boosts are a type of digital currency that unlock certain features in channels and groups. Creators and followers of a channel or group can contribute boosts to reach milestones and unlock features. This collaboration is usually required, as Telegram Premium subscribers are only gifted four boosts, and you can’t directly purchase additional ones.

Some examples of extra features that boosts unlock on Telegram channels and groups are:

• Additional reaction emoticons.
• Extra emoticon status options.
• Ability to post more Telegram stories.
• Custom logo for quotes and links.
• Custom logo for channel or group cover.
• Extra color options for profile customization.
• Additional channel background options.
• Ability to disable ads for all followers or members.

The more boosts that are given to a channel or group, the higher level it achieves and the more functionality is available.

The number of boosts needed to reach each level varies depending on the number of Telegram channel or group followers. A small channel with only 50 followers might only need one boost to reach Level 1, while a larger channel with thousands of followers could need 10 or more.

Is the Telegram App Safe?

Telegram is generally considered to be one of the safer messaging and social media apps on the market. All communications and associated media are protected by client-server encryption which helps prevent data being intercepted on its way to and from Telegram’s servers.End-to-end encryption is also available; however, you must manually enable this feature in the app’s settings.

Technical details on Telegram’s encryption and security features are available on theTelegram website .

Telegram lets you post messages and media with an auto-delete timer and allows you to delete sent content from both yours and your contact’s devices. You can also protect your Telegram account with a passcode,two-factor authentication , andFace ID on supported devices.

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