Telegram already offers strong privacy settings that let you decide who gets to see your phone number, last seen and current status, profile photos, your bio, date of birth, and more. The platform also prevents unknown users from being able to message you, though only if you're a Telegram Premium subscriber. For the regular user, setting incoming messages to 'contacts only' is a great way to filter out the noise. However, the setting isn't the most useful for content creators and/or public figures on the platform.
With today's Telegram update, the platform aims to combat exactly that. It will give public figures more control over their privacy while introducing new ways to monetize messaging.
According to the messaging giant, if you're a user who receives a high volume of messages, you can now begin charging those outside of your contact list for sending them. "This ensures that only those who truly value your time can reach you," wrote Telegram in its blog post.
Users can charge for incoming messages via Telegram Stars — the platform's currency, akin to Bits on Twitch. The feature enables creators on the platform to:
- Filter out unwanted messages.
- Ensure that every message they receive is meaningful.
- Monetize their popularity.
- Stay open to new conversations.
The option to charge for messages is exclusive to Telegram Premium users. It will appear within Telegram's Privacy and Security settings, allowing you to charge between 1 and 10,000 stars per message. Telegram Stars can be purchased at a rate of 100 Stars for $2, 500 Stars for $10, 1,000 Stars for $20, and so on.
Once enabled, creators can allow certain users or members of specific groups to message them for free, with an option to refund stars during exceptions.
Telegram's take on 'message ID' is here
Further, building upon message transparency, Telegram will now show you a detailed information page when someone outside your contact list messages you for the first time. For what it's worth, even if the user has all their personal identifiers hidden, Telegram will still show you their country (based on their phone number), if the two of you have any shared groups in common, when the messaging user joined Telegram, when they last changed their profile picture or username (to detect sudden identity changes), alongside indicators to highlight whether the messaging user is an official account, third-party verified, or just a regular Telegram user.
Elsewhere, the update also finally allows Android Telegram users to cast videos to any Chromecast-enabled device, alongside an option to pin gifts to your profile.