Telegram has rolled out a major update that introduces live comments and reactions in group calls, private notes for contacts, birthday suggestions, and new profile colour options for Premium users, alongside enhancements for AI bots and blockchain-based gifts.
Live Comments and Reactions in Calls
Users in group calls and video chats can now send short comments or emoji reactions directly within the call interface. The temporary messages appear briefly on screen, allowing participants to respond or show appreciation without interrupting the discussion. The feature is currently available in groups with fewer than 1,000 members.
Notes and Suggested Birthdays
When saving or editing a contact, users can now add private notes visible only to them, useful for remembering where they met or a person’s interests. Telegram has also added the ability to suggest birthdays for friends, allowing them to add the date to their profile and receive greetings or gifts from others.
Fresh Look and Customisation Options
iOS users can experience the new Liquid Glass interface, which aligns with Apple’s latest iOS 26 design language. It features subtle transparency and refraction effects across the navigation bar, keyboard and sticker panel. Premium users gain more control over appearance, including the ability to apply collectible gift backdrops and reply styles to their profiles and messages.
Threads and AI Chat Streaming
Telegram’s update also enhances AI and chatbot interactions, introducing threaded chats for multiple topics and real-time response streaming, where answers appear as they’re generated. These features enable a smoother, more dynamic exchange and open the door for AI developers to integrate paid subscriptions directly through Telegram.
Gifts, Blockchain and Bug Reports
Gift management has been streamlined. Users can now view all available gifts in one interface and track when upgrade prices will drop. Gift descriptions can also be removed with Telegram Stars, increasing resale value on the marketplace. Users connected to Fragment can now showcase their blockchain gifts directly on their Telegram profiles.
The Bug and Suggestion Platform, first launched in 2020, is now available as a mini app within Telegram, making it easier than ever for users to report bugs or propose new features without leaving the app.
Kursiv also reports that Telegram founder Pavel Durov has turned 41, but instead of celebrating, he issued a message warning that the free Internet is on the brink of collapse.
