🎉 Telegram has reached 10 million paid subscribers. 10 million people are now enjoying Telegram Premium!

🆕 Today, we’re introducing new features while phasing out a few outdated ones.

⛔️ We’ve removed the People Nearby feature, which was used by less than 0.1% of Telegram users, but had issues with bots and scammers.

🛍 In its place, we will be launching “Businesses Nearby”, showcasing legitimate, verified businesses. These businesses will be able to display product catalogs and accept payments seamlessly.

✂️ We’ve also disabled new media uploads to Telegraph, our standalone blogging tool, which seems to have been misused by anonymous actors.

☝️ While 99.999% of Telegram users have nothing to do with crime, the 0.001% involved in illicit activities create a bad image for the entire platform, putting the interests of our almost billion users at risk.

✊ That’s why this year we are committed to turn moderation on Telegram from an area of criticism into one of praise.

NEW PIC @DUROV ^DV

This channel (@iDubTG) appears to have been completely banned from Global Search, along with some Telegram News related channels and custom clients.

#lifestories

On the 27th of August 2024, I was still in the police station in Paris. It was my third day there. With no devices or internet access, it felt like an extreme digital detox.

That day I was having my regular hours-long interview with the police. Between the questions, I asked my lawyer if my ❤️ Julia would come for questioning too. He said she was expected to, but couldn’t come. I pressed him on the reasons. “Got scared? Left Paris?”, I asked. He hesitated. “She’s pregnant,” he finally said.

It was not the answer I expected at that moment. I remained calm throughout my time in police custody, but this turn of events caught me off guard. After a pause, I said: “Thank you for the good news”. Other people present — the translator, the clerk, the policeman — produced awkward smiles.

I later learnt that the police didn’t know how to break the news of Julia’s pregnancy to me. The circumstances were not exactly celebratory. Julia was alone in a foreign country she’d never been to before. No one knew when I would be able to talk to her again.

Luckily, I was released late in the evening the next day. As I entered the rooftop terrace of the place Julia was staying at, magnificent fireworks erupted right in front of me. Below, the opening ceremony of the Paralympics had just begun.

But the mood was not festive. I learnt that while I was away, the pressure on Julia had been insane. Some blogger started a rumor that she was a “Mossad agent.” Other people came up with the nonsensical idea that it was her posts (and not my chartered flight details) that had prompted the police to welcome me at the airport.

With her devices confiscated, she couldn’t access her accounts on Telegram and Instagram for weeks. Her going radio silent on social media provoked even more speculation. Cyber-bullying aimed at her kept reaching new highs.

Julia stood strong. But, unlike me, she wasn’t used to hostility. She is not made for war.

Two days ago, she was visiting the doctor who monitored her pregnancy. I was in the middle of my 12-hour work day when Julia sent me “😭😭😭” from the doctor’s office. I instantly knew what was wrong.

Telegram appears to be experimenting with some form of an automatic response system with Volunteer Support.

For reference, my message "Hey" was sent at 18:07:54, it's response "Hello, how can I help you?" was sent at 18:07:55

UPDATE: I am fairly certain this is not AI, and is just an automatic response. The screenshots that are being spread around are fake, and are in fact real responses sent by volunteers, not AI ones.

New limited gifts

This channel (@iDubTG) is finally back in Global Search!
Some other channels (for e.g. @movie) may be appearing back too, gradually.