Telegram has been incredibly active with updates, especially in late 2024 and throughout 2025. Their focus has largely been on monetization for creators, enhanced features for channels and group calls, and increased user interaction/customization. There has also been a significant and notable shift in their data-sharing policies with authorities.


Here's a summary of key actions Telegram has taken, particularly in the recent past (late 2024 to mid-2025):

1. Creator Monetization & Economy (Major Focus):
* Telegram Stars (June 2024): Introduced as an in-app currency for digital goods and services within Telegram Mini Apps. Users can buy Stars, and creators/developers can earn them.
* Rewards for Content Creators and Developers (March/June 2024): A system to allow creators to earn revenue from their channels, potentially through ad revenue sharing or paid content.
* Paid Media (June 2024): Channels can now offer paid photos or videos that subscribers can unlock using Telegram Stars.
* Subsidized Ads for Creators and Developers (June 2024): Allowing creators to place ads for Telegram Stars at a discounted rate.
* Star Giveaways (September 2024): Groups and channels can use Telegram Stars as prizes in giveaways.
* Collectible Gifts (January 2025): Users can upgrade received gifts into unique collectibles with custom attributes, which can be traded or auctioned on NFT marketplaces (using the TON blockchain).
* Gift Premium with Stars (March 2025): New ways to gift Telegram Premium using Stars, and allowing gifts to be pinned on profiles.
* Affiliate Programs (December 2024): Simple ways for creators to monetize through affiliate programs.
* Withdraw Stars via Fragment (March 2025): Allowing creators to withdraw earned Stars.








2. Channel & Group Enhancements:
* Customization of Channel Appearance (December 2023): More options for channels to customize their look.
* Share Posts in Stories (December 2023): Easier sharing of channel content to Stories.
* Checklists (July 2025): New feature to help teams and individuals track tasks within Telegram.
* Suggested Posts (July 2025): New suggestions for direct messages added.
* Direct Messages to Channels (June 2025): New ways for users to start conversations with their favorite channels.
* Video Covers in Channels (February 2025): Ability to set cover photos for videos in channels.
* React With Stars as a Channel (February 2025): Channels can react to messages using Stars.
* Topic Tabs (June 2025): Improved navigation for topics within groups/channels (Topics were added in 2022).
* My Profile Section (April 2024): Allows users to view their profile as others see it and display their channel and birthday.
* Recommended Channels (April 2024): Telegram now suggests channels with similar topics.
* Mini App Bar (June 2024): Mini apps can be minimized into a compact bar, allowing users to multitask.
* Mini App Store (July 2024): An in-app store for discovering Mini Apps.
* Mini Apps 2.0 (November 2024): Major updates to Mini Apps including full-screen mode, home screen icons, and geolocation.












3. Privacy, Security & Trust:
* Increased Data Sharing with Authorities (Late 2024 - 2025): This is a significant shift. Following a policy change in September 2024 (and some reports linking it to the alleged arrest of CEO Pavel Durov), Telegram has dramatically increased its compliance with requests from authorities for user data (specifically IP addresses and phone numbers) in cases involving criminal activities, including cybercrime, selling illegal goods, and online fraud. Transparency reports show a massive spike in fulfilled requests, particularly from October 2024 onwards, with tens of thousands of users' data shared in early 2025 alone. This marks a departure from their previous stance of only sharing data in terrorism-related cases.
* Third-Party Verification (January 2025): A new feature allowing official organizations and public figures to be verified by external services, adding an extra layer of credibility to accounts.
* Secure Group Calls (April 2025): Introduced extra-secure, easy-to-use group calls.





4. User Experience & Features:
* Checklists (July 2025): Task management features within the app.
* Trim Voice Messages (June 2025): Ability to trim voice messages.
* Send Photos in Higher Quality (June 2025): Option to send uncompressed photos.
* Message Effects (May 2024): Animated effects for messages.
* Captions Above Media (May 2024): Option to move captions above media.
* Global Hashtag Search (May 2024): Tapping a hashtag now shows results from big public channels.
* Collapsible Quotes (May 2024): Hiding fragments of text inside collapsible blocks.
* In-App Sticker Editor (April 2024): Tools to create custom sticker sets.
* Telegram Browser (July 2024): A new in-app browser supporting multiple tabs, making Web3 available to users.
* Message Search Filters (January 2025): Enhanced filters to refine search results across chats, groups, or channels.
* In-App QR Code Scanner (January 2025): Integrated QR code scanner for quick access to links.
* Star Messages (March 2025): Ability to "star" messages.
* AI-Powered Search for Millions of Stickers (February 2025): Improved sticker search.





In essence, Telegram has been rapidly expanding its feature set, particularly focusing on becoming a more robust platform for content creators and businesses, while also making significant adjustments to its data-sharing practices in response to legal pressures.