Telegram has amassed more than 700 million monthly active users and is deploying a premium level with additional features as the instant messaging platform pressures to monetize a portion of its large user base. The company did not disclose how much it is charging for the premium level, but it appears that the monthly subscription is priced between $ 5 and $ 6.
The premium level adds a number of additional and enhanced features to the messaging app, which surpassed 500 million monthly active users in January 2021. Telegram Premium allows users to send files up to 4 GB (from 2 GB) and supports faster downloads, for example. , said Telegram.
Paid customers will also be able to follow up to 1,000 channels, of the 500 offered to free users, and create up to 20 chat folders with up to 200 chats each. Telegram Premium users will also be able to add up to four accounts to the app and set up to 10 chats.
The move is an attempt by the Dubai-based company to keep its development “driven primarily by its users, not by advertisers,” he said. It’s also the first time an instant messaging app with hundreds of millions of users has launched a premium level. Signal, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Messaging, and Google Messaging, some of Telegram’s top rivals, do not offer a premium level.
Some analysts had previously hoped that Telegram could monetize the platform through its blockchain listing project. But after several delays and regulatory issues, Telegram said in 2020 that it had abandoned the project and offered to return the $ 1.2 billion it had raised from investors.
In March 2021, Telegram raised more than $ 1 billion from a number of investors, including Mubadala and Abu Dhabi Catalyst Partners, selling convertible bonds 5 years before the IPO.
“Today is an important day in Telegram’s history, marking not only a new milestone but also the beginning of Telegram’s sustainable monetization,” the company said in a blog post on Sunday.
Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov said earlier this month that the move to launch a premium level was aimed at meeting the demand of users for additional storage / bandwidth.
“After some thought, we realized that the only way to allow our most demanding fans to get more while keeping our existing features free is to turn those high limits into a payment option,” he said.
In India, the premium version is priced at $ 6 for iPhone users. Alex Barredo, a technology commentator based in Spain, reported that he had seen € 5.49 ($ 5.77) as a monthly cost. A Telegram spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Premium users will also be able to convert voice messages into texts, access unique stickers and reactions, and use animated images as profile photos. Paying customers may also avoid seeing ads on the app. (In some markets, sponsored messages are displayed on major public channels from one to many.)
Durov is committed to keeping a number of basic app features free for users and also continuing to create new features for non-paying audiences.
On Sunday, the company said it is launching a feature, called union requests, to allow all users to join a public group without the need for an invitation link. Another new feature aimed at free users will allow verified groups and channels to show their logo at the top of the chat. The new update also supports rendering animations at 120 frames per second for new iPads and iPhones.
“This update includes more than 100 fixes and optimizations for mobile and desktop applications, eliminating bugs, improving speed, and expanding minor features,” Telegram said.
Data and image: Bernstein.
In a note to customers in May this year, Sanford C. Bernstein analysts reported that Telegram was becoming “increasingly competitive” with its functions. “While WhatsApp and Messenger still account for the majority of messaging app downloads in our selected group, Telegram has taken up a significant portion of both apps, especially Messenger,” they wrote.