WhatsApp continues to be the biggest messaging service in the world with over 1.5 billion users across the planet. The Facebook-owned service is used to send over 65 billion messages, 100 million voice calls and 55 million video calls made every single day. A reason why it’s such a huge success is the fact that it gets regular updates, the ability to be used on both iOS and Android, and its simplicity. Telegram, which now has over 200 million fans using it, announced a swathe of new features that will offer numerous improvements to the way people send and receive their messages. This could even have fans wondering if it’s time to make a permanent switch to the WhatsApp rival. The messaging app Telegram has been updated with a number of features that should cut down on the number of notifications and noise generated by the app.
Here are Telegrams new features
Silent Messages
This allows you to send a message without the recipient’s phone making a notification sound. Messages will still create a notification bubble, but this won’t be accompanied by a sound, regardless of the message recipient’s do not disturb settings. Simply hold the Send button to have any message or media delivered without sound, and select the “send without sound” option that appears.
Slow Mode
This restricts how many messages the group chat participants can send. You have the option of restricting the number of messages people can send to between one every 30 seconds, and one every hour. There are some cases where a feature like this could be very helpful considering Telegram groups can be filled with as many as 200,000 participants. When an admin enables Slow Mode in a group, you will only be able to send one message per the interval they choose. A timer will show how long you have to wait before sending your next message. Tech platforms including WhatsApp are fighting with containing the spread of misinformation on their messaging services. Though Telegram has largely been immune to such controversies, it has its fair share of issues. Despite this, as reported by TechCrunch, Telegram isn’t marketing the “Slow Mode” as a way to tackle the spread of false information. Instead, it says the feature would give users more “peace of mind.”
Admin Titles
If new “time-lord powers” aren’t enough, group owners can now give their admins custom titles which will appear alongside their usernames whenever they send a message in a chat. For example ‘Meme Queen’, ‘Spam Hammer’, ‘Watchman’ or ‘Noisemaker’.
Timestamps and Improved Scrubbing
Videos now display thumbnail previews as you scrub through, to help find the moment you were looking for. When you scrub through a video, it will show a thumbnail so you know where you are in the video. Also, if you add a timestamp to a message with a video then clicking that timestamp will take you to that exact spot in the linked video.
Animated Emoji
These are different from the animated stickers that were introduced recently. Certain emoji, including ❤️, ?, ?, ? and ? will now show an animated version every time they are posted in the chat. The ❤️ emoji will even vibrate the device in a heartbeat pattern if you tap on it.
Android’s New Attachment Menu
Android’s attachment menu got a makeover, giving media more real estate with a new grid view and larger thumbnails. These make it easier to select images as the larger thumbnails make it easier to pick photos and videos at a glance, and swiping up will reveal your full Gallery for better browsing.
Accent Colors for Night Mode on iOS
Apple users can now choose accent colors for night themes. The night doesn’t always have to be black and blue, after all. Telegram’s latest update is available on the App Store and Google Play Store now, and the Windows and macOS versions should be updated soon to support the new features.
