Telegram takes the top spot in the Chinese Google Play rankings

Pavel Durov commented on the removal of Telegram from the Chinese App Store. According to him, the total number of downloads for the messenger has not decreased, and the app holds the top position in the Chinese Google Play top charts from the number of installs. Users from China use VPNs to circumvent the ban.

Durov has also shared his theory on why apps were removed from the App Store in China: the government is forcing iPhone users to switch to devices from local companies like Xiaomi. Android does not have a strict tie-in to the manufacturer's app store, allowing users to install apps from other sources.

For iOS users, the option to use the web version of the messenger remains available.

#China #bans

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Telegram for Android and iOS Has Been Updated to Version 10.12

What's new:

• Profile Photo When Forwarding Messages: In forwarded messages, you can now see the profile picture of the original author if the author's privacy settings have link to profile turned on.

• Updated Message Deleting Interface: When deleting messages in a group, admins can now take actions on multiple users, which includes restricting them or completely ban them.

• Updated Recent Actions: This section has been improved in terms of new filters and a more compact way of displaying messages.

• Permanent Live Location: Share your live location until you disable it.

• Custom Emoji in Polls: Telegram Premium subscribers can now include custom emojis in their polls.

• Quick Navigation Between Topics: Similar to channels, groups with topics enabled now provide a way to quickly switch to the next unread topic. In order to use this feature, scroll down to the latest message, and swipe up to go to the next unread topic.

• Enabling “Stealth Mode” Before Opening Stories: You can enable Stealth Mode before you open a story by pressing and holding on the story circle.

Android: Google Play, APK from the official website or the verified channel.
iOS: App Store.

#update #Android #iOS

"My Profile" Section, Recommended Channels and 15 Other Updates

The new Telegram blog post details the features added to the messenger this April.

Among the notable new features is a new menu section to view your profile, a tab with recommended channels in the global search, the ability to specify your birthday and a link to your channel in your profile, improved moderation tools for group administrators, and much more.

An important milestone this month was that the number of monthly active Telegram users reached 900 million. Half of these users use the messenger every day.

Article: telegram.org/blog/my-profile-and-15-more/

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

Telegram’s DC5 Is Down

Users are currently reporting issues when connecting to DC5 or when interacting with users and chats located in DC5.

This datacenter in Singapore serves users from Asia, Oceania, and Australia.

UPD. 17:30 UTC: Service seems to be stabilizing after an hour and a half outage.

#outages

Telegram’s DC5 Is Down Again

Users are currently reporting issues when connecting to DC5 or when interacting with users and chats located in DC5.

This datacenter in Singapore serves users from Asia, Oceania, and Australia.

#outages

Telegram Desktop Has Been Updated To Version 5.0

What's new:

• Ability to use a custom font: Settings › Chat Settings › Font Family.
• Frequent contacts, recent search results, and recommended channels now appear when clicking on the global search bar.
• Support for custom emoji in polls for Telegram Premium subscribers.
• Group administrators can change permissions for specific users when deleting messages.
• Fixed app crashes on some Linux systems.
• Support for Instant View.

Download: from the official website or GitHub.

#update #desktop

Telegram Desktop Has Been Updated To Version 5.0.1

What's new:

• Fix several crashes in new interfaces.
• Fix monospace font size.
• Fix possible problem with underline font size.

Download: from the official website or GitHub.

#update #desktop

Telegram’s DC5 Is Down

Users are currently reporting issues when connecting to DC5 or when interacting with users and chats located in DC5.

This datacenter in Singapore serves users from Asia, Oceania, and Australia.

UPD. 10:15 UTC: Problem seems to be fixed now.

#outages

Telegram X Has Been Updated to Version 0.26.8.1717

What's new:
• Read Time in Private Chats
• Edit and Replace media messages
• Crop and mirror videos
• Draw over received photos
• Faster video streaming
• Reworked video compression
• Add captions to files before sending them
• Correct rendering of RTL (Arabic, Hebrew, Persian) and mixed-direction messages
• Set and view others Date of Birth
• Similar channels
• Resolved notification issues for recently registered accounts
• Manage collectible usernames
• Eliminated over 35 bugs and 15 crashes
• Over 40 additional improvements
• Many other changes

Read more: telegra.ph/Telegram-X-05-10

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

#Android #TelegramX #update

Links like t․me open in Telegram X, but I use a different client — what should I do?

After updating Telegram X to version 0.26.8.1717, users may have noticed changes in how links like t․me, telegram․me and telegram․dog are handled. Starting from this version, Telegram X takes priority for opening such links, even if they previously opened in another installed Telegram client.

To revert back to the previous behavior, follow these steps:

1. Open system settings.
2. Go to the "Apps" section.
3. At the top of the page, select the "Default apps" menu. On some manufacturers' devices, like Xiaomi, this item is hidden behind a three-dot icon in the top right corner.
4. At the bottom of the page, tap on "Opening links".
5. Find Telegram X in the list and tap on it.
6. Disable the "Open supported links" option. If the list of "Supported web addresses" displays a list of domains with switches, you need to turn off all the domains.
7. Go back to the list of applications and select the main Telegram application.
8. Enable the "Open supported links" option. Tap "Add link" or "Supported addresses" and enable all domains in the list if switches are present.

The @tginfo editorial team is unaware if this logic will change in future versions of Telegram X.

#TelegramX #FAQ

Telegram Will Introduce a Global Search for Posts by Hashtags

Pavel Durov mentioned on his English channel that in the future, clicking on hashtags in posts will display a list of all posts from public channels with that hashtag. The Telegram founder expects this feature to be ready "later this month".

This feature aims to help users discover new content on Telegram, alongside global search and the recently introduced lists of similar and recommended channels.

Telegram Removes Bots Containing Specific Phrases in Messages

Today, some bot developers faced the issue regarding their bots being removed by Telegram. The likely reason for the removal is that the bots' messages contained specific phrases that triggered Telegram's security system.

The situation is further complicated by the fact that many bots include usernames in their messages. This allows some users to deliberately include prohibited phrases in their profile names, and then interact with bots to trigger their removal by the platform.

The @tginfo team does not have details on the number of bots removed or the specific phrases that lead to a bot's removal.

UPD. 7:20PM UTC: The mechanism is likely different from what was described above. After receiving a message from a bot, users report such messages, and it is in fact the processing of these complaints that leads to the bot being removed.

UPD. 7:35 PM UTC: Some of the blocked bots have already been restored.

UPD. 8:25 PM UTC: All blocked bots are restored.

Telegram Demands All Bot Developers to Sell Paid Features Using Its New Currency — Telegram Stars

Telegram is sending out messages to bot developers, requiring them to switch any third party payment services to Telegram Stars when receiving payments for digital goods and services. There is a three week deadline, due on June 12. Telegram explains this decision was made due to pressure from Apple and its App Store guidelines.

The new rules have sparked numerous concerns for developers, especially due to the fact developers will only receive payouts in TON. The @tginfo team tells everything we know about Telegram Stars yet and voices questions and concerns developers have.

We also invite bot developers to express their opinion on this change in comments.

https://tginfo.me/telegram-stars-en/

Official Microsoft Copilot Bot on Telegram

It seems that Microsoft has launched an official bot for its AI search chatbot, Copilot:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/copilot-for-social

To use the bot, you need to share your phone number with it. This way, Copilot verifies your country. It will refuse to work if your number is from an unsupported region such as Iran and Russia.

The bot responds to questions with links, similar to the web version. Supported links are displayed in Instant View format.

The bot has a limitation: you can send no more than 30 messages a day.

You can try it here: @CopilotOfficialBot.

Telegram to Introduce Fact-Checking Feature

The source code of Telegram for Android has revealed lines indicating the development of a new feature called "Fact Check." It appears that this feature will be implemented in partnership with government-assigned fact checking agencies.

- The "Fact Check" feature will allow additional clarifying information to be attached to messages. However, it will function differently from Twitter's Community Notes, even though they might seem similar at first glance.

- The government in your country will be able to appoint an agency to conduct fact-checking on public Telegram channel posts. This agency will have full control over the content of these fact check blocks, while regular users will not be able to influence or have a say in the notes. By clicking on the "What is this?" tool-tip, details about the agency providing the fact-check will be shown.

- Unlike Telegram's "Fact Check" feature, Twitter's Community Notes are created and evaluated by regular users, and the most useful notes are selected by an algorithm based on votes from readers with diverse political views.

Telegram at the Center of Disinformation: EU's Struggle with the Messenger

Bloomberg has published an article regarding Telegram's role in spreading disinformation and the European Union's attempts to regulate the messenger.

According to the article, Telegram has become one of the main channels for promoting fake news aimed at undermining support for Ukraine. Additionally, the Russian secret service is using the platform to recruit individuals for sabotage in European cities.

Here are some key points from the article:

- Telegram as a Key Tool: Telegram is a crucial weapon for pro-Kremlin accounts in spreading disinformation against Ukraine.
- Recruitment by the Russian Secret Service: The Russian secret service is using Telegram to recruit petty criminals for acts of sabotage in European capitals.
- EU's Powerlessness: EU authorities are largely powerless to curb Telegram due to its relatively small user base in Europe (fewer than 45 million users).
- Doubt on User Base: EU officials doubt Telegram's claim of having 41 million active users in Europe.
- Estonian Prime Minister's Call: Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has called on the European Commission to independently assess the actual amount of users on Telegram in the EU.
- Possible Classification as a Major Platform: If Telegram is recognized as a "very large online platform" under the new EU Digital Services Act, it will be required to combat disinformation.

At the same time, Telegram's upcoming update will include a new "Fact Check" feature to fight fake news.

#laws

Telegram Apps for Android and iOS Have Been Updated to Version 10.13

Here are the new features introduced in the May update:

• Global Hashtag Search: Users can now quickly switch between three search modes for messages with the desired hashtag by tapping on it in any chat: current chat, all their chats, and public groups and channels.

• Animated Message Effects: When sending a message in a private chat, users can enable a full-screen effect from emojis or stickers, which the recipient will see when viewing the conversation. By default, users can use only 6 emoji effects from the list, while all other animations are available only with a Telegram Premium subscription.

• Media Placement in Messages: Users can now place text captions above attached images or videos. To do this, select attachments from the gallery, add text to them, and then choose the "Caption above" option from the three-dot menu or by holding down the send button.

• Collapsible Quotes: Before sending a message or when editing it, users can enable the collapsing of each block with a long quote (more than 3 lines) to make the message more compact. This can be done by pressing the "Collapse" button located in the lower right corner of the quoted text block.

Other new features include quick search for messages from a user in a group, an updated lock screen interface for the app on Android, a new action menu when tapping on a phone number in a message, and colorful calls on macOS.

Android: Available on Google Play, APK from the official website, or the verified channel.
iOS: App Store.

#update #Android #iOS