10 Major Upgrades: Telegram's First Update of the Year Adds Exciting Features!

Telegram has recently added 10 major features in its first update of the year as a warm-up exercise for its users. Here is a closer look at each of the new features:Show more

Emoji Profile Pictures: You can now turn any sticker or animated emoji into a profile picture for your accounts, groups, or channels. This feature is available to all Telegram users, even if they don't have Telegram Premium. You can even set or suggest profile pictures for your contacts by editing their information on Telegram.

Emoji Categories: Stickers and emojis are now sorted by categories, making it easier for you to find the right one. You can now find them in the panel and when choosing reactions or statuses. Simply hold any emoji to zoom in and get a better look before sending.

Translating Entire Chats: Premium users can now translate entire chats, groups, and channels in real-time by tapping the Translate bar at the top. The options menu allows you to hide the bar and control which languages are translated. All users can translate individual messages by selecting them and tapping "Translate."

Network Usage: With the updated feature, you can now see how much data has been used by Telegram, including detailed pie charts for Wi-Fi and mobile data usage. You can even adjust your auto-download settings to suit your data plan.

Storage Usage: This feature received a similar upgrade last month, making it easier for you to manage your storage usage. With Telegram, there is no need to store everything on your device. Media and documents can be removed from your phone's storage and re-downloaded from your Telegram cloud at any time.

Auto-Save Incoming Media: You now have the control to set when media is saved automatically to your gallery based on its size, type, and the chat it was received from. The menu also supports exceptions, so you can only save exactly what you want.

Granular Media Permissions: Admins can now choose whether group members are allowed to send 9 distinct media types, such as photos, voice, or video messages. They can also disable text messages to create media-only groups. This feature makes it possible for voice notes only or quiz-only communication without constant admin vigilance.

Annual Premium Subscription: You can save up to 40% on your Telegram Premium subscription by pre-paying for a year of exclusive features. Why not gift a few months to friends as well?

Chat Selection for Bots: Bot developers can now add special buttons to help users select groups, channels, or people that meet predefined criteria. For example, this can be used to quickly add the bot to a group where the user is an admin and topics are enabled. Bot developers can find more detailed information in the manual and on @BotNews.

Re-Login with Apple and Google ID: Logged out users can now quickly log back in using their Apple or Google ID without entering an SMS code. However, if you have a 2-Step Verification password set, you will still need to enter it.

New Custom Emoji: No update is complete without new packs of custom emoji, and this time Telegram has included 10 packs of custom emoji from its artists. These packs include several hundred icons specially designed for group and profile pictures. You can browse and add any of these packs right from the new trending section at the top of your emoji panel.

New Interactive Emoji: The animators have added new interactive versions of emojis. These emoji are not just limited to 1-on-1 chats and can also be used as reactions in groups and channels, adding a fun and interactive touch to your conversations. The new interactive emojis are a result of the creative efforts of Telegram's talented animators and provide a new way to express emotions and bring life to your chats. So, go ahead and add some excitement to your conversations with the new interactive emojis.