Not a month has passed since the owner of Telegram confirmed a Premium version. And, as of this week, Telegram Premium is already a reality. This is one paid version included within the usual appbut that adds extremely interesting advantages on paper.
However, at crast.net Mvil we have not been satisfied with knowing about its advantages in theory and we have immersed ourselves in practice. We have tried all the news that includes Telegram Premium and in this post we review them, giving our opinion on them and whether or not it is finally worth paying the 5.49 euros per month that this version requires.
We are ‘premium’ and others know it too
In the purest style of verified Twitter, as soon as we subscribe to Telegram Premium we will be able to see how a star-shaped badge appears next to our name. This is an element that will also be visible to others and, those who click on it, will see a list of advantages of being a premium user appear before them and the possibility of subscribing as well.
Obviously, little or no functionality has this beyond that of “standing out” among the others. The same thing happens when we observe that we are three new icons for the app. One of them in the shape of a star with a colorful background, another with the classic logo of the app on a black background with stars and another in a bluish color in which the Telegram logo appears to be a rocket.
If we continue with exclusive visual elements, we have to stop to mention the exclusive stickers that this version adds and that, although users of the free Telegram can see it, they will not be able to use it if they are not subscribed. They are the ones you see in the previous capture and, although it is a detail, they still seem insufficient.
The new limit of 4 GB, useful, but not for everyone
We see every time how the limit to send files in messaging apps is increasing. WhatsApp recently implemented the 2 GB that Telegram already had (and still has) in its normal version. In this ‘Premium’, They offer us up to double to reach 4 GB.
This limit is not bad if we take into account that, beyond sharing with other people, this is a good method to send photos and videos from the mobile to the computer or vice versa. Nevertheless, not everyone will take advantage of it or at least not constantly.
It has to be said that It is not the only limit that Telegram Premium extendssince we also find the possibility of setting 10 chats instead of 5 or writing bios of 140 characters instead of 70. In the end, there are several elements that double their limit, with a complete summary of all of them in the following table.
|
Telegram Premium |
free telegram |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Maximum groups you can join |
1,000 |
500 |
|
pinned chats |
10 |
5 |
|
public links t.me |
10 |
5 |
|
Saved GIFs |
400 |
200 |
|
favorite stickers |
200 |
5 |
|
characters in bio |
140 |
70 |
|
Maximum length in photo descriptions |
4,096 |
1,024 |
|
folders |
twenty |
10 |
|
Max chats in each folder |
10 |
5 |
|
Maximum accounts in the app |
4 |
3 |
|
maximum file size |
4GB |
2GB |
What is this bot? oh ok thanks
There are more and better bots on Telegram. They offer all kinds of utilities, from automating the feed of a news website to downloading TikTok videos without a watermark. However, there is a function that (in our opinion) it should be standard and yet it is only for Telegram Premium: Being able to add photos and videos that show how the bot works.
And it is that in this paid version it is allowed that in the information of “What does this bot do?” images and videos can be included better illustrate the usefulness of the bot. This is an important utility and especially in those bots that are somewhat more complex to use, since the developer can better explain its operation and the user can understand it faster and more visually.
Voice messages, we are not afraid of you
Who has not received an audio message and thought “how lazy”? And yes, we can have a lot of esteem for a person, but It is not always good for us to listen to your audios. Either because we’re busy or because we don’t really have a chance to hear it at the time. With Telegram Premium an option is added that automatically transcribes the audios.
As is evident, this transcription is faster the shorter the audio is, while when its duration increases, the transcription also takes longer. The final result is displayed as one more text message below the audio. And it works very well, albeit with ‘buts’.
The transcription is correct most of the time, although it becomes weak if terms are said in a language other than the one configured in Telegram.
And it is that, although it is true that 99% understand it very well, dictation is not always perfect and can confuse words. Especially if they are in a language other than the one we are speaking during the audio. Similarly, it only detects the language in which we have Telegram configured, so not even English is transcribed perfectly, unless we change the language manually.
Be that as it may, We give this feature a thumbs up. Personally, I must admit that I am a person very given to sending many audios throughout the day, so in the end I think I can compensate my contacts more than myself. However, I’m sure I’ll find a use for it eventually.
There is also an exclusive news for Android (although not Android version yet)
At the time of publishing this article, we can only subscribe to Telegram Premium from an iPhone. At least officially. However, Telegram itself confirms an exclusive novelty for this system and, despite not having been able to test it, it sounds really good. It is a improved chat preview compared to the free version.
When we hold down a chat we can see a preview of the conversation which, in addition, does not leave the double check and therefore it is as if we had not seen the message. This is an action that has been available for years in the android system, but now the possibility of swipe through preview to see previous messages. This is something that iOS Telegram has natively, so we don’t understand why it’s something ‘Premium’ on Android.
Other notable functions in this Telegram Premium
Beyond what has already been mentioned, there is other small novelties that make up a good compendium of extra functions to this Telegram Premium and that, obviously, we have also tested.
- Exclusive reactions to messages. Some of the most prominent are the peace dove, the yawning emoji, a whale, a heart on fire, and even a hot dog (we don’t know what the point is, but it’s really hungry).
- Animated photos, but all the time. And it is that in the version free small video clips or GIFs can be added as a profile picture, but they are only visible if we enter. With Telegram Premium this photo keeps moving continuously for our contacts (whether they are ‘Premium’ or not).
- More power for group and channel adminsbeing able to manage all entry requests individually and with the options to accept or reject new members.
- Improved chat management being able to make, by default when opening the app, it open in a chat folder instead of the main view.
- Animation when sending large files of more than 2 GB, a function that at the moment is exclusive to iOS and that is very useful to know the progress of the shipment, since they are files that take longer to send.
- no ads in the channels, something that in itself is not usually annoying, but that is always worth thanking. And even more so if we take into account that in the end we are paying, which should always (or almost always) be synonymous with not finding advertising in the content.
So is it worth paying for Telegram?
As always before these questions, we believe that it depends on each one. It will not be us, nor a server in particular, who will tell someone what they should or should not do. However, based on the tests we can say that Telegram Premium will have a hard time getting followers at that price.
Personally, I consider myself an absolute enthusiast of Telegram, to the point of being my primary messaging application over WhatsApp. And yes, this paid version makes the free version even better. However, I find it hard to convince myself that it is worth shelling out 5 and a half euros for functions that I will not take advantage of on a day-to-day basis.
The best recommendation is that you try it yourself, unless 5.49 euros for that test also seem excessive.
During these tests I have found especially striking the possibility of transcribing audios, but I wouldn’t use it enough to compensate me for the subscription either. And more having already tools that do it for free. And if this happens to me with the option that I liked the most, imagine with the rest.
Therefore, and answering the question of whether or not it is worth it, we will be clear: It’s not worth it for the extras it offers.. Paying for a messaging app in the middle of 2022 seems somewhat shocking to us at first and, although we can understand that they add interesting functions, we consider them insufficient. For 1.99 or 2.99 euros or similar, perhaps it could have a place. Therefore, we will have to see how this Premium Telegram evolves and how it can make us change our minds.
