Last month, Telegram introduced Stars, a digital currency that can be used within the app. Now, the company is expanding its use cases to paid content. The chat app also allows channels to convert their Stars into Toncoin, the cryptocurrency that Telegram uses on The Open Network (TON) blockchain. Stars can also be used to receive discounts on channel promotions.
The company initially introduced Stars as a way to pay for digital goods offered by bots and apps within Telegram, but now content creators can post content that users can unlock using Stars.
The app also allows channel owners to withdraw their stars using the Fragment platform and convert them into Toncoin. If you have Toncoin, you can trade the cryptocurrency on various exchanges and transfer it to your bank account. Notably, Telegarm has been using the portal to auction usernames on the TON blockchain.
Image credit: Telegram
Alternatively, channel owners can use their stars to get advertising discounts and promote their channels through them.
In the latest update, Telegram also adds a mini app bar at the bottom, allowing users to quickly access mini apps without having to reload them.
Image credit: Telegram
The company also added some new ways for users to find Stories: Tapping on a hashtag will show all public Stories with that hashtag in the caption. The app already allows hashtag search for chats and messages in public channels.
Similarly, users will now be able to add location tags to their stories and can see all published stories from the same location by tapping on the tag.
In an effort to reach a billion active users and become profitable, Telegram added a number of business-centric features this year, such as allowing small businesses to add their location and opening hours, making it more attractive to users over platforms like WhatsApp. In April, the company also introduced features like customized start pages, predefined greeting and away messages, and support for chatbots for businesses.