In a bid to enhance user experience and compete more effectively with WhatsApp, Telegram has unveiled a series of new features for its channels.
The Meta-owned platform, which globally launched its broadcast channels feature in September, aims to elevate content discovery and customization for its users.
Upon joining a new Telegram channel, users will now receive suggestions for similar channels, enriching their experience by providing a variety of content options.
In an effort to keep pace with evolving social media trends, Telegram has introduced emoji customization for reactions and statistical insights for stories.
With the global rollout of stories in August, Telegram has now expanded its capabilities by allowing users and channels to repost stories on their own pages. This update enables the addition of text, images, or video commentary during the reposting process, fostering creativity and engagement.
Channels can now incorporate custom emojis based on their level, creating a gamified system where premium users can boost channels of their choice. Each subscription includes one boost, and channels accrue levels based on the number of boosts received, unlocking features like the ability to post stories.
For channels already equipped with the stories feature, the latest update introduces detailed statistics, including views, reactions, shares, and a timeline of activity for different stories. This data-driven approach aims to empower content creators and channel administrators with valuable insights into user engagement.
In a recent move to encourage user interaction, Telegram introduced a giveaway feature allowing channels to host giveaways for Telegram Premium and other gifts, enhancing follower engagement and expanding their audience.
Beyond channel-related enhancements, Telegram is extending its voice-to-text feature for audio messages to free users, with a weekly cap of two transcriptions. Additional updates include a refined code highlighting block, a two-sided wallpaper for premium users visible to both parties in a chat, and an improved topics view in groups.
With WhatsApp’s recent introduction of similar channel features, Telegram finds itself compelled to innovate. Mark Zuckerberg, in a broadcast on his WhatsApp channel last month, announced that the channels feature had surpassed 500 million monthly active users. It is worth noting that while WhatsApp boasts over 2 billion monthly active users, Telegram maintains a robust user base with over 800 million monthly active users.
