Telegram Updates: Better Sticker Search & Video Experience

Telegram App Updates: Enhanced Features for Stickers and Videos

The Telegram chat application, having achieved profitability in the previous year, has recently launched a series of updates across its platforms.

These improvements encompass a more refined sticker search functionality, the option to select custom video covers, and the capability to share videos directly from their current playback position.

Improved Sticker Search

An AI-driven sticker search was initially introduced in December. This allowed users to locate stickers using everyday language.

However, the initial release was constrained to a library of only 40,000 stickers. The latest update expands this significantly.

Now, queries such as “Thinking monkey” or “Dog eyebrow raise” will yield results from millions of stickers available throughout the Telegram platform.

Enhanced Video Consumption

New features have been implemented to improve the video viewing experience within the app.

Users can now generate a shareable link to a Telegram-hosted video, including a precise timestamp, mirroring functionality found on platforms like YouTube.

Furthermore, users are now able to designate a specific frame from the video as its cover image, similar to video thumbnails on other services.

The integrated video editor allows for the addition of text, stickers, and emojis to these custom video covers.

Telegram is also introducing saved video progress functionality.

This allows users to resume watching a video from the exact point where they previously paused.

Addressing Content Concerns and Bot Discovery

While many channels share original content, Telegram has also faced challenges regarding the hosting of pirated video material.

Last year, the company removed 15 million groups and channels, though not all removals were related to copyright infringement.

In 2023, Telegram began enhancing its channels feature with new discovery tools.

These tools included suggestions for similar channels upon joining a new one.

The company is now applying a comparable approach to bot discovery.

A “Similar Bots” tab will now appear on the profile page of each bot service, enabling users to find related bots.

• Key Updates: Improved sticker search, custom video covers, timestamp sharing.
• Sticker Search: Expanded to millions of stickers with AI-powered natural language processing.
• Video Features: Timestamp links, custom thumbnails, saved progress.