Telegram Testing New Premium Subscription

Monday May 2, 2022 9:28 am PDT by Juli Clover

Popular secure messaging app Telegram is testing new monetization strategies, and hints of a new Telegram Premium subscription have shown up in the 8.7.2 beta version of the iOS app.

As noted by Android Police, the beta includes both stickers and reactions that are locked behind a paywall. Users who select these premium stickers and reactions are prompted to sign up for the Telegram Premium service, and non-subscribers cannot see the stickers or reactions as they are blocked for those who do not pay. Non-subscribers who receive a premium reaction or sticker are prompted to sign up for a subscription themselves.

As of right now, Telegram makes money through ad sales and features for group channels, but there are no add-on purchase options that target individual users. Should this new Premium feature be implemented, that could change.

It is not unusual for social networks to charge extra for premium reactions, as Twitch and Discord also have subscription options that include additional emoji and customization options. Telegram founder Pavel Durov has previously said that Telegram does not plan to charge for core features that already exist, though he did say in 2020 that additional monetization strategies would be coming.

Full details on what might be included in some kind of Telegram Premium subscription are unknown at this time, and there is no word on when the functionality might see a wider rollout following the beta test.

Tag: Telegram

Popular Stories

Apple Taking New Approach to Developing iOS 28 and macOS 28

Sunday November 8, 2026 7:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol

Apple has made a change to its development process for iOS 28, macOS 28, and corresponding software updates, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, he said Apple separates development of each year's new operating systems into three major stages. Typically, he said each stage consists of four weeks of coding followed by a four-week "convergence" period where...

• 156 comments

Apple Launching Two More New Products This Friday

Monday November 9, 2026 4:22 am PST by Tim Hardwick

The Apple launches keep coming! The company is set to release two new products on Friday, November 13: the all-new Apple HomeView and the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, both of which have been available to pre-order since mid-October. Apple HomeView: Apple's new smart home display, powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI, for entertainment and managing the home. Available in tabletop and...

• 17 comments

Apple Store Subscription Sign-Up Controversy Exposed

Sunday November 8, 2026 7:28 pm PST by Joe Rossignol

In a series of YouTube videos shared over the past two weeks, electronics technician and consumer rights advocate Louis Rossmann has exposed a controversy in which some Apple Store employees have allegedly signed up customers for auto-renewing subscription trials for Apple One and other services without their informed consent. Here is how the process works at Apple Stores in the United...

• 152 comments

Top Rated Comments

lucascampelo

59 months ago

If Apple would open up iMessage to everyone, we wouldn't need Telegram, Whatsapp, etc... and would all be using a superior secure messaging app.
And yet, all the apple users always never want this? Are apple users just stupid or....

Only US folks think that. I wouldn’t use iMessage by default even if it was pre-installed on every phone ever released. iMessage is hugely behind in features (and it also needs more bandwidth to send messages, making it slower than the competition).

Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

alexandr

59 months ago

All a messaging app needs to do is send and receive messages. So if it works with other SMS apps than it works with all phones.

Thank god you're not in charge of innovation...

Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

nvmls

59 months ago

Only US folks think that. I wouldn’t use iMessage by default even if it was pre-installed on every phone ever released. iMessage is hugely behind in features (and it also needs more bandwidth to send messages, making it slower than the competition).

You can tell iMessage only users have no idea what a decent messaging service is like 🤣

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

zorinlynx

59 months ago

Have they gotten their white supremacist problems under control? Last time I looked, it was all Stormfront weirdos posting.

What groups are you hanging out in that are full of people like that? There's no such people in the groups I'm in.

Personally I'd leave any group where the moderators tolerate that kind of content.

Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Derekuda

59 months ago

All a messaging app needs to do is send and receive messages. So if it works with other SMS apps than it works with all phones.

Messaging apps should be able to send full size videos, pictures, audio clips, online status, read reciepts, and be encrypted. Let me know when your SMS does all these things.
We are half way there with RCS, but Apple won't adhere to new standards.... It's the same reason why you are still using lighting ports on iphones while the rest of apples products use USB-C.

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)