Telegram update brings slew of features from custom notification tones to auto-delete: Details

Telegram has launched several new features to attract new subscribers and retain existing ones, including setting custom durations, custom notification tones, muting chat, improved forwarding, auto-delete messages etc. New animations, emojis have been introduced, message translations have been improved and bots will allow new developers to website-like experience with the app. Android users also get an updated picture-in-picture mode.

First new feature is the Custom Notifications using which users can create custom alerts from music, tap a short audio file or voice message in any chat or instantly add it to the list of available notification sounds. Tap on Settings > Notifications and Sounds.

The second feature for Telegram users is the ability to define a custom duration to temporarily mute chats. Users can also pause notifications beyond 8 hours to 2 days. There is customisation for each chat, allowing users to choose from Disable Sound to receive notifications silently or Mute to turn off completely. Tap ‘Notifications’ on a chat’s info page or Menu > Mute in the chat header on Android or tapping ‘Mute’ on a chat’s info page on iOS Telegram app.

The third feature is Auto-Delete which will allow users to choose flexible timer settings, such as 2 days, 3 weeks, 4 months, etc, to delete the conversations automatically. Tap Menu (three dots) on Android or Menu (three lines) on iOS on a chat’s info page in the Telegram app.

Another new feature on Telegram is Replies to Forwarded Messages will now show the same reply previews when forwarding messages to other chats. This will allow the recipients of a forwarded message to get context of the conversation. While using the feature, one can hide the original sender’s name or media captions.

Telegram on iOS now gives translation facility on more languages like Ukrainian. To enable Translation, go to Settings > Language to add a dedicated Translate button to the context menu when selecting a message.

There is an improved Picture-in-Picture implementation on Telegram for Android. Users can also pinch to change the size. The Telegram app also now has new animated emojis that include food items and more.

In the end, app developers will be now able to create third-party Telegram bots that can offer website-like experiences in the messaging app like they do in websites. For example, users could order food via a customised bot or “handle small tasks like chat management by adding extra features, automating processes or helping moderators” within the Telegram app.