The free version of Telegram will likely continue despite the arrival of the Premium tier
The arrival of paid subscriptions doesn’t necessarily mean the free version of Telegram will cease to exist. This is just a method to increase revenue in a highly competitive market, where Meta’s WhatsApp continues to dominate. Currently, first-time users of Telegram are greeted by a welcome page that claims the service is “free forever” and that it won’t have ads or subscriptions. Thanks to a new screenshot posted by Italian tipster/developer Alessandro Paluzzi (via GSMArena), we’re getting an early glimpse at the Telegram welcome page that would appear when the subscription is officially available. Paluzzi said the screenshot comes courtesy of strings spotted within translations.telegram.org. As you can see below, it removes any mention of “forever” and replaces it with “free unlimited cloud storage for chats and media,” which is a strong hint of the Premium tier’s imminent arrival. This updated welcome page doesn’t mention paid subscriptions directly. Though we know thanks to older reports that Telegram intends to take this route.
Telegram Premium should be around the corner, and a future app update will likely enable support officially. Information on pricing and availability is scarce right now. But we know about some of the benefits attached to the new subscription tier. Reports say Telegram Premium subscribers would receive a star/badge that would be prominently displayed across chats and the user’s profile. Moreover, paying customers would also gain access to exclusive in-app stickers and reactions.
Telegram has mulled the inclusion of subscriptions for a couple of years now
Telegram has been contemplating a paid subscription model to boost revenues since at least 2020. But it seems like the company isn’t quite ready yet. Hopefully, the Telegram team will have a few additional surprises with the upcoming Premium subscription. The controversial proposal to update the WhatsApp privacy policy came under severe scrutiny last year. This coupled with the outage of Meta’s products, led to millions of users switching to the privacy-oriented messaging app. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said that roughly 70 million users switched over from Meta’s apps such as Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp in 2021.
