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On the last day of July, the encrypted messenger Telegram announced that the previous batch of updates concerns the in-app Telegram Browser, the Mini App Store, and more.
The browser has search, multiple tabs, bookmarks, and other standard functionality, as well as Web3 features that an announcement from the company said are immediately available thanks to the browser supporting decentralized sites on the TON blockchain network.
This is available to all users, which Telegram claims now number nearly one billion.
Instead of closing the browser, the in-app one now allows for collapsing and again opening pages from the bottom bar, meaning that Telegram users can now seamlessly switch between reading and posting messages, and being on a website or playing a game while saving their progress.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said in a post on his platform that the ability to switch between these different elements means that communications and news consumption are now “merged” on the app.
He also explained that in order to test using the TON feature, users can open the link, tonsite://getting-started.ton.
As for the Mini App Store, there is a new tab in Search, called “Apps” (showing up along with Chats and Channels) which produces a list of mini apps in use, but also those that are popular on the platform (the latter is open to those mini apps that use Telegram Stars).
According to Telegram, out of its 950 million users over 500 million “interact with mini apps every month.” Among those are prominently games and services, but also a variety of others.
To those looking to try a new app, they will now feature screenshots and video demos. Another new feature of mini apps is AI-generated content, such as videos and achievements, for Telegram Stories.
Among the updates is one to the Stories – which have received covers and animated weather widgets.
Telegram Stars were introduced in June to enable payments for digital goods and services. Users can get them through in-app purchases via Apple and Google or PremiumBot. With the latest update, they can now also gift Stars to those apps that accept them.
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