Telegram released an update for its iOS and Android applications today that adds a couple of really interesting new features, including one that echoes of an existing feature on Snapchat.
The option of adding a username allows you to share said username with others so you can contact more people without handing out your phone number, though a phone number is still required to register with Telegram. Usernames must be a minimum of five characters and can contain letters, numbers and underscores. You are also free to change your alias to one that’s not unavailable.
Snapchat-like “tap to hold” with timer arrives on Telegram
Telegram has also nearly cloned a Snapchat feature with a new feature that lets users “Tap and Hold to View” photos, video and voice messages that are sent with a self-destructing timer. The timer will begin once the content has been opened.
Telegram’s recent update for Windows Phone is the newest before this one for the company and added the ability for users to save videos to media library. There’s no word on when the new “tap and hold feature” or the username support will come to that platform. Telegram was only recently released on WP.
Earlier this year, Telegram revealed that it has 35 million monthly active users, 15 million of whom use it daily, which trails behind WhatsApp’s 600 million and WeChat’s more than 435 million active users.
Telegram can be downloaded on iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.