Telegram is a free cloud-based instant messaging service that offers end-to-end encryption.
Telegram started modest. But as it matures, it's eyeing on more things. Joining other fellow encryption messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal, Telegram is releasing its own short messages feature.
In addition to that, the company is also launching a dedicated video hosting platform where users can share contents with their followers. Calling it 'Telescope', anyone can use it, no registration is required. All videos that are uploaded to Telescope will get own public URLs so users can further share their clips with others beyond Telegram.
"With Telescope, even those users who don’t have Telegram installed will be able to enjoy your public video messages and share them on Twitter or Facebook. As a result, this content will generate more views."
With version 4.0, Telegram is also introducing its own payment feature with chatbots.
What this means, users can order food, hail a cab or others by just typing a line of message to one of the available bots in the platform. These 'Payment Bots' may add a Pay button to their messages. So when users tap on 'Pay', they'll be asked to fill in their credit card and shipping information and confirm the payment.
And if users is protecting their account with a 2-Step Verification, they can save their card for future purchases.
The company said that its bot payment system is supported by Apple Pay for a "completely frictionless experience."
And for last, Telegram is also introducing 'Instant View'. Ready to support thousands of websites, users no longer need to launch a web browser to view any articles that have been shared. Instant View pages support images, videos, and any other media, and work with websites that aren't yet optimized for mobile devices.
For convenience, the company is also launching the Instant View Platform that allows anyone to create their own templates for websites.