Telegram gets shared folders, better bots and more

2023-04-21 18:21:12

O Telegram today received a new update (version 9.6), which includes some news such as the possibility to share chat folders, as well as to customize wallpapers, in addition to better bots and other news with less impact on the messenger’s functionalities.

Let’s check out the highlights below.

Shareable Folders

Folders — which bring together groups, channels and the like — can now be shared through a link. By clicking on it, people will be able to add the folder in question to their Telegram, as well as join all the chats that are part of the collection at once. To create a folder, just access “Chat Folders” in “Settings”.

It is possible to generate multiple links, giving access to different chats according to the desired recipients. Public chats and/or those where you have administrator permissions to add people can be included. As you add more chats to folders and update the link, members will get a notification to join the new chats.

Custom Wallpapers

Another novelty are the wallpapers which can be customized. From your photos or color combinations, you can make adjustments, such as adding perspective or blurring effects to create a new wallpaper. To do so, just tap on the three dots inside a profile and go to the “Change Wallpaper” option. It is also possible to share your creation with the other person, so that they also use the same background.

Better Bots

Something quite interesting announced by Telegram are the improved bots, including the ability to host integrated web applications. This change, it is worth noting, has the potential to allow several actions to be carried out through the messenger itself, without having to leave the app. These bots can be accessed via a direct link or by mentioning your username.

When used in a group, bots with web apps are also compatible with collaboration features, which allows, for example, the integration of games, and, according to Telegram, the development of these solutions in the messenger is free. Additionally, bot usernames can now also be collectible and do not need to include the suffix bot.

And more!

The company also announced that the Premium subscription can now be purchased through Fragment. We also have the super-fast scrolling feature in attachments, very useful for conversations with many files, in addition to the message reading time in groups with less than 100 members with activated topics.

Finally, among the minor novelties is the need for fewer touches for the Send When Online option, just holding the send button, in addition to the possibility of creating groups without adding members immediately.

On iPhones 14 Pro/14 Pro Max, which have the Dynamic Island (Dynamic Island), there is a new “liquid” animation with the photo added, being displayed whenever you scroll down a profile page, as we can see below: