Telegram has just implemented a paid subscription in a Premium plan with special functions for heavy users. Do not panic for others: the classic version of messaging remains free.
We finally know the advantages and the price of Telegram Premium, the paid formula that instant messaging has just put in place. A few days ago, Pavel Durov, boss of Telegram, explained in a long tweet that the company had to modify its economic model to face competition from other messaging services (WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal, etc.) and satisfy the growing needs of major users of the application. It is now done.
Yet Telegram, the rival instant messenger to WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal and many others, has always been free. Renowned for its high level of encryption – and therefore security in terms of the confidentiality of user data, even if some experts have reservations about this – it has seen its number of downloads increase each time WhatsApp crashes or fails. found itself at the heart of a controversy involving security breaches or changes to the conditions of use modifying the use of personal data. Launched in 2013, the application created by Russian developers currently totals more than 460 million active users per week worldwide, with an increase in downloads since the start of the war in Ukraine.
But with the increase in the number of users, which induces an increase in operating costs (servers, bandwidth, etc.), and the need to constantly add new functions in order to face competition, Pavel Durov had had to admit that the app’s business model was no longer tenable. The company had been exploring new monetization techniques for a while. In particular, it has experimented with placing advertisements in public channels while taking care to respect the privacy of users – these ads do not concern private channels and they do not track users. But the idea of making it the heart of the application’s business model was finally discarded, and a new solution was found: the paid subscription.
Telegram Premium: more functions for 5.49 euros per month
In a long message published on Telegram on June 10, Pavel Durov explained that many Telegram users were asking for the lifting of limits on chat and the sending of images or videos. Unfortunately, it was impossible to respond to this request free of charge since it would lead to a sharp increase in operating costs. To meet these requests, the company has therefore found a solution: the paid subscription, called Telegram Premium. For the director of Telegram, it is a way to bring Telegram monetization back to users, which adding ads to group conversations does not do, since the people behind the ads have their own interests. .
On his blogTelegram unveiled the full list of benefits of its new formula on Tuesday, June 21:
- No advertising.
- The files sent can now reach 4 GB and can be downloaded by all interlocutors.
- Higher download speed stored in the cloud.
- Doubling of application limits (number of channels followed, saved GIFs, pinned discussions, public links, favorite stickers, etc.).
- Space to write your biography and caption the dubbed images, with link insertion.
- Text transcription of voice messages.
- Stickers and special reactions.
- Premium app badge and icon.
- Animated profile pictures.
- New management of discussion channels and thematic files (archiving, cutting of chats, etc.).
The Premium subscription is available today for a price of 5.49 euros per month in France. Do not panic however, the implementation of this formula does not mean that Telegram becomes payable for all users. Telegram Premium is a “pro” version of the application, allowing access to more functions. The idea is therefore to leave the application as it is – free -, but at the same time acceding to user requests by adding new paid options. Pavel Durov promised that “tAll existing features will remain free, and more free features will be added later“. In this way, users who do not want to pay for a Telegram Premium account will not be left out. The firm has also added new functions, accessible free of charge for all, in its latest update: request for membership for public groups, verification badges in exchanges, better bots, improved exchanges, auto-save to Android gallery, improved external sharing, animated profile picture creation on Mac and fixes and optimizations. this way, Telegram is implementing a policy similar to that of TikTok while keeping what makes its essence and its charm.