After anticipating months in the form of rumors and leaks, Telegram made its Premium subscription official, a monthly payment that entitles you to upgrades over free users. And we have already tried it: we tell you everything you need to know about this new Telegram Premium.
Messaging applications have introduced so many options that it is very difficult to continue to stand out, either because of the number of extras or because of the effort involved in continuing to develop (and invent). Telegram is, without a doubt, the one that has evolved the most in messaging to get her out of the “simple” conversation between people. Given this effort, the company needs direct help from its users. Premium subscription is the answer.
Two prices depending on how you subscribe
Price difference between Google Play (left) and Telegram downloaded from the web (right)
Telegram can be downloaded in two different ways: from mobile stores (mainly Google Play) or from the Telegram website itself. The app itself is the same, it only gains some speed since from the stores there is always some delay until the download is propagated to all users. Well, this is the only difference.
Telegram has set very different prices depending on whether the app is downloaded from its website or from Google Play: the increase between one method and another is 37.59%. Telegram has not provided the explanation for the increase in subscription premium, although it is surely due to the commissions that Google and Apple apply to their stores: these amount to 15% (the App Store drops from 30% to 15% commission the second year). What users must pay each month is a higher percentage, surely as an extra benefit for Telegram.
Below you have the different subscription prices and where they apply.
The advantages over free accounts are exactly the same regardless of where the subscription is paid, whether to Google or directly to Telegram. And it’s not because they add extra features that free accounts lose their appeal: Telegram continues to work just as well as it has up to now. And it will continue to do so in the future.
|
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 |
How to subscribe to Telegram Premium
As you have seen, the monthly subscription has two ways to pay, also two very different costs. The logical thing is to bet on the cheapest, although they have their drawbacks: you must share the card number (credit or debit) with Telegram and you do not have so accessible the low subscription. On the contrary, through Google Play you make the monthly payment with the same means of payment that you use to buy apps; having the option to manage subscriptions directly from Google Play.
Telegram Premium does not have a free trial period: the first month they will charge you in full
Depending on where you downloaded the app from you will have one method or another of payment. Here is the detailed process for both:
- Access your Telegram settings, in the hidden menu on the left of the screen.
- Scroll down to “Telegram Premium”.
- Click on “Subscribe for … € per month”. Depending on the download, you will have either 5.49 euros or 3.99 euros. It’s up to you.
- If you downloaded the app from Google Play, a lower window will appear to accept the payment. You need a payment method associated with your Google account.
- If you downloaded Telegram from its website, the conversation with Premium Bot will open. Click on “Pay €3.99”, fill in the form with your card details and accept.
- You can cancel the subscription at any time from the “Payments and subscriptions” menu under your avatar in the Google Play Store or by going to Premium Bot and saying /stop if you subscribed with Telegram downloaded from its website.
Remember: Telegram will charge you the amount each month until you decide to cancel your subscription
Once you subscribe you will have access to all the functions added to the huge number of possibilities that Telegram already has for free. We have been testing Premium and we can tell you that does not imply a qualitative advantage in terms of experience. Yes, it is a good addition if you want to stand out among your friends or in case you want to contribute your grain of sand to the constant development of Telegram.
Cosmetic improvements with special emphasis on files
Premium Telegram Stickers
“Freemium” apps tend to offer added features for a fee, usually extras to what they already include for non-paying users. Games like Fortnite or PUBG are a clear example: players pay to stand out among the millions of users who connect every day. Telegram has opted for this strategy.
Icon picker for shortcut
After the time that we have been using Telegram Premium we have not appreciated a noticeable improvement in the experience, at least in what responds to the pure and hard use of the applications (once the subscription is made Telegram Premium is available for the entire account, regardless of the platform). What it does clearly improve is the download speed: large data is downloaded in a sigh (as long as the connection is good). The size of files that can be uploaded is also doubled: with Telegram Premium it’s 4 GB. Those who use the messaging app as a backup tool will appreciate it.
Download speed, upload file size and text transcription of voice notes are three of the palpable improvements of Telegram Premium
Another function that we find interesting is the audio transcription: Telegram Premium converts voice notes to text. This is really useful when the conversation turns to the constant sending of audios (yes, we all have a friend who insists on sending them, often lasting minutes).
The rest of the options are basically cosmetic: a badge to show that you pay for Telegram (what less), stickers to differentiate yourself from the rest (not too many yet), added reactions or animated profile pictures. They are there and they can entertain for a while, but they do not really enrich the possibilities of Telegram.
Badge that proves you pay Telegram
Under our tests, we believe that Telegram Premium subscription is too expensive for what it offers, even the cheapest of the two possible options. The platform already includes a huge number of free features. And it seems that paying subscribers have to pay for the entire messaging service, not just the add-ons. Telegram Premium is mainly aimed at Telegram fans.
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