- Popular messaging app Telegram is launching a new ‘business’ feature to compete with Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger.
- Telegram Business was officially launched over the weekend, introducing features such as customising the start page, setting business hours, using preset replies, greeting, and departure messages, chatbots, chat tabs, and more.
- Telegram founder Pavel Durov expects Telegram to be profitable by 2025.
Telegram, the popular messaging app, is taking on Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger with the launch of its new ‘Business’ features.
Telegram Business features
Telegram Business was officially launched over the weekend, introducing features such as customising the start page, setting business hours, using preset replies, greeting, and departure messages, chatbots, chat tabs, and more.
According to the Financial Times, just weeks before the launch of Telegram Business, Telegram founder Pavel Durov said that he expected the app, which now has over 900 million users, to become profitable by 2025.
Telegram Business is part of that push, leading up to a future IPO, as it’s an offering that requires users to subscribe to the paid Premium version to access.
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The Telegram Premium
Telegram Premium includes a range of upgrades and costs $4.99 per month on iOS and Android platforms, and is also available as a three-month, six-month, or one-year plan.
As of December 2022, Telegram Premium had over 1 million subscribers, and by January 2024, it had reached 5 million subscribers. This indicates that subscriber growth is accelerating.
Telegram Business could be another hit for Premium, as it offers tools and features that can be used by enterprise customers without the need for coding knowledge.
Businesses can display opening hours and locations on the map, or use coloured labels to categorise chat according to their specific needs.
Telegram has hinted at a future update to Telegram Business, with plans to launch an AI-powered chatbot for business users.
