Telegram Super App
Telegram Super App — is an open-source set of tools for modern communication, collaboration, content consumption, and payment systems. It involves the ability to publish decentralized applications inside an app that can be used by blockchains to pay for different services like games or subscriptions, using fiat and crypto payments, interact with blockchains.
History
- 2013: Telegram emerges as a secure messaging platform under a non-profit banner, dedicated to shielding users from governmental data intrusions.
- 2017 — 2018: The Telegram Messenger team delves into blockchain technologies, embarking on the creation of their foundational blockchain, initially dubbed Telegram Open Network (TON).
- Q1 2018: Telegram initiates a Gram token sale, fueling the development of TON, choosing to forgo traditional venture capital funding.
- 2018 — 2020: Telegram unveils the blueprint and early stages of the TON Blockchain. Detailed documents outlining TON's architecture are made public, and the TON testnet is deployed for widespread testing, with test tokens distributed for the next development.
- May 2020: Regulatory hurdles prompt Telegram's exit from the TON endeavor.
- July 2020: Telegram allocates remaining test tokens into specialized Giver smart contracts for prospective mining endeavors, officially concluding support for the TON testnet.
- 2020: A small group of open-source developers resumes blockchain development, building upon TON's original principles outlined in the whitepaper.
- August 2022: The decentralized auction platform Fragment was launched
- November 2023: TON set the record for the fastest blockchain in the world
Features
- Secure Messaging: End-to-end encryption ensures the privacy and security of messages.
- Third-Party Development: Open platform allows developers to create mini apps, fostering a diverse ecosystem within Telegram. Run small programs within Telegram, potentially for booking services, playing games, or making payments. Mini Apps can also integrate decentralized applications using blockchain technology. This can include crypto wallets for secure storage and management of cryptocurrency, as well as games utilizing smart contracts to ensure fairness and transparency in the gaming process. The most popular is: the game @notcoin, and crypto purse @wallet. Such integrations open new opportunities for users to interact with decentralized financial instruments and entertainment without leaving the Telegram platform.
- Media Sharing: Users can share photos, videos, documents, post stories, and other files of various formats up to 2 GB(4 GB for premium accounts). Unlimited cloud storage.
- Voice and Video Calls: High-quality voice and video calling functionality. As well as sending voice and video messages. The ability to schedule voice chats in advance: countdown in the chat with notification of the start.
- Stories: posting and reposting stories — personal, in channels, and groups. The ability to leave text, voice, and video comments.
- Group Chats: Creating groups for family, friends, or work colleagues, with support for large group sizes.
- Channels: Broadcast messages to a large audience through public channels.
- Bots: Integration of bots for various purposes, including customer service, productivity, and entertainment.
- Telegram Business: creating business pages from profiles with additional features: location and working hours, information about services, quick and automatic responses, tags for folders, customization of the starting page for chats, chatbots with additional functionality.
- Stickers and GIFs: Extensive library of stickers and GIFs for expressing emotions and reactions.
- Secret Chats: Option for encrypted, self-destructing messages for enhanced privacy.
- Customization: The ability to customize the app interface to suit your preferences; grouping chats and channels into folders that can be shared with friends; tags for saved messages; flexible privacy settings; profile and channel customization; connecting multiple accounts; real-time translation of chats and channels.
- Cross-Platform Sync: Seamless synchronization of messages and data across multiple devices.
- Scheduled Messages: Schedule messages to be sent at a later time.
- Location Sharing: Share the current location or live location with contacts.
- Search Functionality: Powerful search feature to quickly find messages, contacts, or media.
- Channel Stats: Detailed analytics for channel admins to track engagement and performance.
- Voice-to-Text: Convert voice messages to text for easy reading
- 2FA Authentication: Two-factor authentication for added account security.
- Data Saving Mode: Option to reduce data usage while using the app.
- Privacy Settings: Granular control over privacy settings, including who can see your online status, profile picture, and more.
Blockchain integrations
Telegram is deeply engaged in cooperation with the TON blockchain. In particular, TON has obtained ownership of the @wallet domain and seamlessly incorporated the TON Space wallet. These developments were unveiled during the September 2023 Token2049 conference in Singapore. Similarly, in November of that year, The Gateway conference revealed the introduction of The Open League — a rewards initiative tailored for TON projects and engaged users, seamlessly integrated within the Telegram platform.
Moreover, Telegram actively interacts with various other blockchains through its array of mini-applications and bots. This interaction unlocks avenues for leveraging decentralized financial tools and seamlessly managing cryptocurrency directly within the Super App ecosystem.