Telegram
Overview
Contents12 sections
Key facts
2013Launching the messenger
Telegram launched on iOS on August 14, 2013, followed by an Android public beta on October 20. Pavel provided financial and ideological support; Nikolai led the technical work and designed MTProto.[1]
June 24, 2015Opening the bot platform
Telegram introduced its Bot API and platform, allowing third-party developers to build software-operated accounts for search, polls, reminders, games and integrations with external services.[3]
May 12, 2020Ending involvement in the original TON project
Pavel Durov announced that Telegram was ending active involvement in the original Telegram Open Network project, attributing the decision to U.S. court restrictions on Gram distribution. His statement that the team would not support successor projects reflected its position in 2020.[4]
June 19, 2022Introducing Premium
Telegram announced more than 700 million monthly active users and launched Premium, adding higher limits, 4 GB uploads and voice transcription while retaining existing core features for free. The team said it wanted users, rather than advertisers, to drive development.[5]
2025Passing one billion monthly active users
Telegram’s press information states that it passed one billion monthly active users in 2025. It identifies Dubai as the company’s base and Pavel Durov as its founder, owner and CEO.[2]
May 4, 2026Announcing a larger role in TON
Pavel Durov said Telegram’s next step would be to replace the TON Foundation as TON’s driving force and become its largest validator. He outlined website, developer-tool and performance upgrades on a two-to-three-week timetable. The post announced intentions and a schedule; it did not establish completion.[6]
May 7, 2026Expanding AI bots and chat automation
Telegram added guest AI bots that users can mention in conversations, bot-to-bot communication, streamed responses and profile-based chat automation. It states that guest bots can access the tagged message and its replies, but not other messages or the chat’s member list.[7]
August 25, 2026Interactive messages and welcome messages
Telegram introduced welcome messages visible only to new group or channel members, interactive buttons embedded in message text and inline documents in rich text. It reported releasing 12 major updates with more than 55 features over the preceding year.[8]
Chat architecture and encryption
Cloud chats use encryption between clients and servers and cloud storage for access across devices. Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted, remain tied to their originating devices and support self-destruct timers; that architecture is not the default for all Telegram chats.[1]
Official website and public account
Official website: https://telegram.org/ (opens in a new window). Public X account: https://x.com/telegram (opens in a new window).[9]
Sources
- Telegram FAQ: Who are the people behind Telegram? (opens in a new window)
- Telegram Press Info (opens in a new window)
- Telegram Bot Platform (opens in a new window)
- What Was TON And Why It Is Over (opens in a new window)
- 700 Million Users and Telegram Premium (opens in a new window)
- Pavel Durov on Telegram’s planned role in TON (opens in a new window)
- Guest AI Bots, Bot-to-Bot Chats, Chat Automation, Custom AI Styles, 100M+ Emoji & Sticker Search and Much More (opens in a new window)
- Welcome Messages, Buttons in Messages and Signed Gifts (opens in a new window)
- Telegram Logos and App Screenshots (opens in a new window)