The Telegram app has received an update which adds the ability to set a different theme for individual chats, "share your feelings with loved ones using interactive emoji with fullscreen effects", and see detailed read receipts in "small" groups. However, it is not disclosed in the announcement at what point read receipts stop working when it is not classed as a "small" group chat. It is now also possible to record video and audio from live broadcasts.
The full changelog from the Microsoft Store app can be viewed below.
INTERACTIVE EMOJI, READ RECEIPTS IN GROUPS AND LIVE STREAM RECORDING INTERACTIVE EMOJI
- Some animated emoji now have extra effects.
- Send :fireworks: :tada:, :balloon:, :like:, :poop: or :heart: to any private chat, then click on the animated emoji to launch the effect.
- If your chat partner also has the chat open, you will both see the effects.
- See the “Watching” status when your chat partner is enjoying emoji effects with you.
- More interactive emoji coming soon.
READ RECEIPTS IN SMALL GROUPS
- Right click one of your outgoing messages in small groups to see who recently viewed it.
- To protect privacy, read receipts are only stored for 7 days after the message was sent.
RECORD LIVE STREAMS AND VIDEO CHATS
- Record video and audio from live broadcasts in your group or channel.
- Admins can start recording from the Settings menu (?).
- Choose between recording in portrait or landscape orientation.
- Finished recordings are sent to the admin’s Saved Messages and can be easily shared.
Thanks to privacy-related or ownership changes in other chat apps, Telegram has been growing significantly in the past year, having crossed 500 million active users at the beginning of the year. Due to this growth, its founder also announced plans to start monetizing the service through non-intrusive ads, premium features, and potentially paid sticker packs, though we have yet to see any of that materialize.
You can read the full announcement at the Telegram blog here, and install the update via the Microsoft Store here.