Telegram today announced the launch of a new feature that will allow official third-party services to assign extra verification icons to user accounts and chats. The added verification is meant to cut down on scams and reduce misinformation.
While Telegram already has a verification process for public figures and organizations, trusted third-party services will be able to provide additional verification options. A chat or account that has a third-party verification will be marked with a small logo before their name, and opening the associated profile will show a more detailed explanation of the account's status and what it means.
Third-party verification is separate from the verified checkmarks that Telegram provides to public figures and organizations. A service that wants to provide third-party verification to others must first be verified by Telegram and must complete an application.
According to Telegram, third-party verification will make it easier for users to independently confirm the people they contact and services they interact with.
Along with the new verification option, Telegram added support for collectible gifts, reactions for service messages, extra message search filters, and more.
Telegram says that its first major update of 2025 was actually supposed to come in on the last day of 2024, but it was "sadly delayed by a lack of attention from Apple's review team."
