Telegram launches new updates with topics in groups, collectible usernames

To enhance the user chat experience, Telegram Messenger on Monday launched major updates to its application with features like Topics in Groups, Collectible Usernames, and more.

Among other features, the platform offers voice-to-text for video messages with dozens of new emoji packs for premium users, according to the company.

“I feel particularly excited about today’s Telegram update. It adds topics to large groups, transforming these linear chats into slick mobile-friendly versions of good old Internet Forums,” Pavel Durov, Telegram’s CEO and Founder, said in a statement.

Groups with more than 200 members can now enable “Topics” and create a separate space for any topic so that chats within the group can be easily read.

Users can now assign multiple “Collectible Usernames” to each of their accounts and publicly accessible channels on Telegram, so others can find and contact them easily.

“Topics today come packed with lots of features including the ability to close and pin topics, flexible notification options and lots of fun animated emoji to be used as topic icons. Taking advantage of the two-week delay caused by Apple’s review, we have begun to expand these new threaded groups into something even more powerful,” Durov added.

Moreover, with “voice-to-text for video messages”, video messages can be converted to text, allowing premium users to get an instant text transcript.

The feature was previously available to premium users to convert any voice message to text, for times when it was more convenient to read than listen along, the company added.

Also, the platform introduced 12 new emoji packs for premium users so that they can use these emojis in any message and caption.