What's New in Telegram: Every Major Update in 2025 and 2026
A dated log of Telegram's major updates since January 2025, with the features that matter most for channels, groups and creators.
Telegram ships a major update roughly once a month. This log lists each one since January 2025, newest first, with the features that matter most for channels, groups and creators. Each entry links to Telegram's own announcement.
2026
August 2026: Welcome messages and buttons in messages
- Welcome messages in groups and channels that only the new member sees.
- Buttons placed inside the text of a message.
- Gifts can be signed with a personal message.
July 2026: Communities and a rich text editor
- Communities: groups, channels and bots linked together under one entry in the chat list.
- A rich text editor with headings, tables and inline media (Premium).
- Disappearing (ephemeral) messages in groups.
June 2026: Smartwatch apps and AI guardians for groups
- Telegram apps for Apple Watch and Wear OS.
- AI bots can act as group admins and screen join requests.
- Bots can send long rich text, including tables.
May 2026: Guest AI bots
- Guest bots: mention a bot in any chat and it answers there, seeing only that message.
- Bots can talk to other bots.
- Emoji and sticker search across more than 100 million items.
March 2026: AI editor and new polls
- An AI text editor that can fix, restyle or translate a message.
- Polls with media, descriptions, suggested options, time limits and hidden results.
- Bots that create and manage other bots.
March 2026: Member tags and Login with Telegram
- Group members can set their own tags.
- A new Login with Telegram for websites and apps.
- An option to block forwarding and screenshots in one-to-one chats (Premium).
February 2026: Ownership transfer and Android redesign
- If the owner of a group or channel leaves, ownership passes to an admin automatically.
- A redesigned Android app.
- Bot buttons with colours and emoji.
January 2026: AI summaries
- AI summaries of long channel posts and of Instant View pages.
- A new design on iOS.
2025
December 2025: Passkeys
- Log in with a passkey instead of an SMS code.
- Offers on another user's gift, with the money held until the owner accepts.
November 2025: Live Stories
- Live streams in Stories for users, groups and channels.
- Scheduled messages that repeat.
October 2025: Comments in group calls
- Live comments and reactions in group calls.
- Private notes on contacts.
- Threaded chats for AI bots.
August 2025: Music on profiles
- Music can be added to a profile.
- A Stickers Mini App for creating and managing sticker packs.
July 2025: Public post search
- Search across posts in public channels (Premium at launch).
- Story albums and gift collections.
July 2025: Checklists and suggested posts
- Shared checklists in any chat (Premium).
- Suggested posts: readers can propose a post to a channel and offer Stars or Toncoin for it.
June 2025: Direct messages for channels
- Subscribers can message a channel's admins, and the channel can charge for each message.
- Tabs for group topics.
May 2025: Gift marketplace and channel auto-translation
- A marketplace for buying and selling collectible gifts.
- Channels can turn on automatic translation of their posts.
April 2025: Encrypted group calls
- End-to-end encrypted calls with up to 200 people.
- Business accounts can connect third-party and AI chatbots.
March 2025: Paid messages
- Users can charge Stars for messages from people who are not their contacts.
- Up to six gifts can be pinned on a profile.
February 2025: AI sticker search
- AI search across user-made stickers and emoji.
- Video covers and saved playback position.
January 2025: Collectible gifts and third-party verification
- Gifts can be upgraded into unique collectibles that can be transferred or sold.
- Approved organisations can verify accounts and chats.
- Gifts can be sent to channels.
Frequently asked questions
How often does Telegram release updates?
Major feature updates arrive roughly once a month, with smaller fixes in between.
What was the latest big Telegram update for channels?
Recent updates for channels include direct messages and suggested posts (2025), AI summaries of long posts (January 2026) and welcome messages (August 2026).
Where does Telegram announce new features?
On its official blog at telegram.org/blog and in its official channel @telegram.
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