What you need to know
- Telegram has announced a new emoji platform that allows you to upload custom packs.
- The service has also made interactive custom emoji available in individual chats.
- You can now send a prepaid Telegram Premium subscription to friends and family.
Telegram already offers a variety of fun ways to send emoji to your contacts, backed by a massive library of interactive emoji. In a new update, the service is betting big on custom and animated emoji.
If you're fond of animated emoji and have a Telegram Premium subscription, you can now access the service's open emoji platform, which lets you "upload custom packs with unique art styles and characters."
You can use these new animated emoji in chats and media captions. Plus, Premium users will be treated to 10 initial custom packs with more than 500 Premium emoji. More custom emoji will also arrive on one of the best messaging apps soon.
To make custom animated emoji easier to access, Telegram now turns the sticker shortcut in a chat box into an emoji shortcut as you type. This brings up the new emoji panel, where you can view existing emoji packs or add new ones. You'll also see all packs in emoji suggestions when you type certain emoji shortcuts like a smiley.
Telegram has also made interactive custom emoji available in one-on-one chats. Simply tap "to play synchronized, full-screen effects."
The service's Premium version, which debuted in June, is adding a new way to reach more subscribers. Premium users can now send a prepaid subscription for three, six or 12 months to anyone. Plus, the gift is discounted.
As usual, Telegram is big on privacy, so it's adding a new way for Premium users to control who can send them voice and video messages. They can adjust this setting to allow everyone, their contacts, or nobody to bother them with voice chats.
