Telegram announced the premium tier which comes with a fee of $4.99 or Rs. 469 a month, but it offers a number of intuitive features.
The latest app update was released on app store (opens in new tab) for Apple devices, and while it offers most features for free, there are some additional features that require users to pay a subscription fee.
The premium tier and its features are not available for Android as of now – so the same is missing from the Play Store. But we hope it comes to the Android side of the world soon.
What does Telegram Premium offer?
A lot, if you’re a user. For starters, the premium tier comes with the option to organize chats better. Users will be able to pin up to 10 chats to the main list, join up to 1,000 channels, and connect up to 4 accounts. Users will also have the option to organize their chats into up to 20 folders, each with up to 200 chats.
The premium tier also increases the maximum file transfer size and allows users to transfer files up to 4GB in size compared to the previously available 2GB.
In case the recipient of this large file is on Telegram Premium, he will be able to download it faster as the premium tier does not limit the download speed of media and attached files. While it means that not only can you share large files, but people will also be able to download them instantly.
Premium subscribers will not be subject to advertisements on public channels and will also have access to exclusive animated reactions and premium stickers that will be updated regularly.
Users will be able to save 400 GIFs and 10 favorite stickers. There will be an option to add a longer bio in case you want to share more about your likes, preferences and more. In addition to other addons, the premium tier will also add a premium badge to the profile – similar to what Elon Musk is suggesting for Twitter Blue.
The free version continues to receive new features
That said, in case you think you can still live with the basic version that shows ads and has slightly less benefits, you can still do so. The basic version remains free and will continue to receive new features.
However, Telegram has been offering its services for free for a long time and is among the few worthy WhatsApp alternatives.
Adding new features and managing the huge database of users, however, requires a lot of money and that is what Telegram is trying to raise money for directly from its users. However, it remains to be seen whether users are allowed to pay for these additional benefits and help keep the ship afloat.