Telegram's July Update: Unpacking the Web3 Revolution and More

Telegram is one of the leading platforms experiencing significant growth in the Web3 space. As Web3 brands increasingly migrate to the platform, Telegram continues to enhance users’ experiences by introducing new and engaging features.

In July, Telegram rolled out several noteworthy updates to its in-app browser. A new bottom bar has been added, enabling users to navigate between pages more easily.

Additionally, users can now quickly access popular mini-apps through the newly introduced “Apps” tab in the search function.

The Telegram Stories section also received several enhancements, such as the ability to generate custom story content and add thumbnails to stories. Continue reading to discover more of these exciting new features.

The bottom bar in Telegram's in-app browser is one of the latest upgrades that makes it easier for users to navigate between tabs and sites. The goal is to allow users to navigate through web pages easily without losing browser content.

For instance, you may want to respond to a notification pop-up while reading a web page in the browser. This new feature preserves the web page, ensuring it doesn’t lose its place. The browser also gives instant access to view articles and bookmark pages.

For the web3 community, the company announced the integration of decentralized websites hosted on the TON network (the Open Network). The goal is to make Web3 easily accessible to over one billion of their user base on the platform.

By bridging the gap between traditional Internet and decentralized apps, Telegram is becoming a key player in the Web3 ecosystem.

Another cool feature is the mini app store. Out of its 950 million users, Telegram has noticed that about 500 million users interact with mini apps on their platform every month.

So they decided to complement their users by adding a shortcut tab to popular mini-apps in the search section. This shortcut displays a list of gaming, payment, or productivity apps that people use together with the popular apps on the platform.

The platform also allows developers to share screenshots and video demos of their mini-app previews to give their fan base a sneak peek of what to anticipate.

They also added a feature that allows mini apps to generate custom story content like achievements, AI-generated videos, or snapshots of leaderboards. Users can now share this generated content from the mini app directly to their Telegram stories.

Think of a more fun way to interact with friends on the platform: check out the Telegram stars. This update allows users to gift stars to one another, which can be used to access paid/premium content in some channels or purchase digital items in mini apps.

Within the Telegram ecosystem, Telegram Stars function similarly to virtual currency. They can also be used to show appreciation for content creators by gifting them stars.

Currently, the primary method to acquire Telegram Stars is through in-app purchases. Users can purchase stars directly within the Telegram app for iOS and Android or through the @PremiumBot on other platforms.

You can track or manage your stars by heading to Settings >> My Stars.

For those who love recording video messages or posting video content, the platform has added a feature that uses the front flash option for improved lighting.

How does it work? The display emits a white screen light, which gives extra lighting, especially when recording in dark or low-light conditions.

Telegram also thought it wise to provide users with a weather-tracking widget added to their stories to keep up with real-time weather updates.

Based on users' device settings, the widget can automatically adjust between Fahrenheit and Celsius. It also displays the moon phase during clear nights.

For a more polished-looking story, users can generate and add a thumbnail to their video stories.

Seeing that a significant percentage of their users use Mac OS, Telegram made these features compatible with both Mac OS and mobile devices.

This is to ensure a consistent experience across multiple platforms. Users can now find mini-apps, access Web3, a new browser alongside games, and see pages instantly on Mac OS.