While WhatsApp is witnessing an influx of scams, viruses, and security flaws, its well-known competitor Telegram has been adding new features to lure users. And today, Telegram has released yet another update that brings various new upgrades. This includes support for the new Payments 2.0 feature, scheduled voice chats, an improved media player, and more.
So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at the new features added in the latest Telegram update, shall we?
Telegram v7.7 Update Released
Payments 2.0
Telegram added support for payments on its platform back in 2017 to allow users to pay for stuff directly from the app. Now, with Payments 2.0, the developers have added credit card support for payments that allow users to pay to merchants using their credit card. So, following the update, merchants will be able to accept credit card payment directly in any chat via 8 integrated third-party payment providers including Stripe, Yandex.Money, Payme, Tranzzo, Sberbank, and more.
Apart from this, the company has also added tip support to the app. This lets users pay a tip amount to their favorite artists, stores, and delivery executives to show some support during these trying times.
Scheduled Voice Chat and Voice Chat Reminders
After adding voice chat support for groups last year, Telegram brought the Clubhouse-like Voice 2.0 feature to its platform with a recent update. Now, the developers have added support to schedule voice chats and set reminders for them. This way, group or channel admins will be able to schedule voice chats on the platform instead of sending them right away after creation. You can learn how to create voice chats on Telegram right here.
So, once an admin schedules a voice chat, users in the channel or the group will see a timer (set by the admin) for the scheduled voice chat in the chat window. Further, they can tap the scheduled voice chat pop-up to set a reminder for it when the timer expires.
Improved Media Player and Pinch-to-Zoom
With the latest update, Telegram has also improved the in-app media player that plays videos and music on the platform. Users will now be able to quickly fast-forward or rewind a video that they are watching by double-tapping on the right or left side of the screen.
Apart from this, the developers also added pinch-to-zoom support for any kind of media files such as pictures and stickers. Thanks to this, users can now pinch a media file in a chat to zoom in or out.
Other Updates, Including New Web Apps
Along with the above new features, Telegram has also added support for mini-profiles for voice chats. This lets users change their bio and profile picture during a voice chat session without leaving the chat window. Also, the developers also introduced two new web apps for Telegram (WebZ and WebK) with a modern UI and support for animated stickers, dark mode, chat folders, and more.
Availability
The Telegram v7.7 update is currently rolling out to iOS users via an update on the App Store. For Android users, the update rollout might take a bit of time to roll out as Google is “currently experiencing longer than usual review times due to adjusted work schedules.”
However, if you want to try the new Telegram features on your Android device, head to Telegram’s official website to get the latest update right away.
