Telegram stickers are a cool way to add the fun quotient in your chats. The popular instant messaging application has come up with a wide range of sticker packs to choose from.
Overview of Telegram
Telegram is a cloud-based instant messaging application. It is compatible with most of the popular platforms (both PC & smartphone) including, Windows Phone, Android, macOS, iOS, Windows NT and Linux.
Telegram users can send text messages with stickers to each other to make the conversations more happening. Additionally, you will be able to exchange various multimedia files here as well as use emojis too.
Telegram is the brainchild of Mr. Pavel Durov who is mostly known for co-founding Russia’s popular social networking site VKontakte.
Telegram comes with open source client code and closed source server code. It is based on proprietary code and does not depend on the security protocols that are used by its other software counterparts.
Telegram boasts 200 million+ active users as of 2018. As per the CEO of the company, the app shows 50% growth every year.
See also: Best Telegram Groups to Join in 2019
History of Telegram
- Development
The famous instant messaging application was launched by Pavel & nikolai Durov in the year 2013. Both of them co-founded VKontakte but left the site after the social network company was acquired by Mail.ru Group. Nikolai Durov has developed Telegram’s security protocol MTProto. Pavel looks after infrastructure and finances.
- Social numbers
Telegram was launched in 2013 and by the conclusion of that year, the app was bustling with around 100,000 users (daily). By the first quarter of next year, Telegram had acquired 15 million users on daily basis and 35 million on monthly basis. In 2014 only, Telegram experienced heightened popularity after South Korea imposed surveillance operations. With the final quarter of 2014, the app was seen bustling with 2 billion+ daily messages & stickers. As per the reports, the app received 1 million users per week.
Telegram stickers
Telegram stickers are cloud-based.
As with other text messaging application, the stickers in Telegram too comes with various images to enable users express their sayings in a more interesting & interactive way. You will find these stickers in greater sets compared to other messaging apps. Besides, Telegram users have the great facility to send more than one sticker at one go. The app comes with default sticker but you can enhance your collection by adding more from 3rd party designers. After a client installs one sticker set, it becomes available for other clients as well.
Telegram stickers have been designed in WebP format.
Other features of Telegram
Account
Before a user can use Telegram, he has to pass through a verification process. The verification is done through phone call or text message. Telegram accounts are connected to the phone numbers of user. You can add more than one device to your same Telegram account. If you ever change your phone number, you will simply have to update this app. For more security, Telegram does not display phone numbers in case a user prefers to take alias.
Your Telegram account will be automatically deleted if you don’t use it for 6 months. However, you can adjust inactivity time between 1 & 12 months.
Cloud-based messages
Any message that you send or receive on Telegram is always based on cloud. This way, you have the privilege to check your Telegram message anytime and from any device with internet connection. Telegram allows users to send any sort of file including videos (within 1.5 GB). Users here can even create groups and every group can accommodate up till 100,000 people. After you send a message here, you have the amazing facility to delete or edit it within 2 days. Besides, Telegram allows users to correct typos, delete messages that have been sent erroneously. It’s the MTProto protocol that makes all such features feasible for Telegram users.
Bots
Bots are a popular feature of Telegram. The company launched a platform back in 2015 to enable bot design by external developers. The bots in Telegram are accounts which based on predefined software. The bots can reply to the messages automatically and come with all facilities of any regular user. These are visible & can be located easily on Telegram.
Telegram has also come up with inline bots which are used to extend information.
Channels
Telegram is also famous for its scores and scores of channels. You will find channels here on any topic under the sun. As a Telegram user you can create a channel on your preferred subject and publish content. Other users can join it and study your contents. If you want to send a specific message or discuss a particular concept with a huge audience- you can create your own channel on Telegram instead of sending messages individually. There are both public & private channels. If you want to join a private channel, you have to receive invitation link from the channel owner. Channels in Telegram carry permanent URL id.
With Telegram channels, you can join or leave them anytime you wish to. You can even mute them but that won’t hinder your ability to receive messages from the channel.
Drafts
We are all acquainted with the concept of drafts thanks to emails. These are the unfinished messages that stay stored in your account. Telegram also has the same concept with drafts. In case, you don’t send a typed message, it would be saved in the form of draft. After the draft is saved, it will sync up across each device that is connected to that respective Telegram account.
Your Telegram drafts won’t get automatically deleted. If you don’t want them you have to delete your draft message manually.
Secret chatting
Telegram allows secret chatting via its MtProto protocol. Your secret chats are not same as regular messages on Telegram and these will only be available on the device which is used for these secret conversations. In fact, these messages will be automatically destroyed after a time certain time limit which will be set by user.
When you have to start secret chat, you have to send an invite for the initiation of encryption keys. The two users on secret conversation will need to compare a set of images & visualize respective keys. You will know your secret chat is secured if the keys match.
Voice calling
Launched in 2017, voice calling in Telegram is always encrypted for strong security. If the P2P connection does not seem to be powerful enough for a voice call, the application will choose nearest server automatically. A solid connection is mandatory for easy & seamless voice calling on Telegram.
However, voice calling in Telegram still has to go to some improvements to enhance user experience.
Recommended: Best Telegram Games 2019
Video Messaging via Telescope
The moment voice calling started gaining momentum on Telegram, the company launched video messaging for its users. Released in the first quarter of 2017, voice messaging on Telegram is offered via a certain platform called “Telescope”.
As of now, Telegram enables its users to post video messages with a duration of one minute maximum. These messages can be played automatically. However, it’s to note here, when you post a video message on Telegram, you cannot keep it private. It will be visible to all users on the instant messaging application. In fact, anybody can check the video messages posted by Telegram users on Telescope website. And it includes even those online users who do not have Telegram account. So, for your own safety, do not post any kind of private or confidential or sensitive content on Telegram video message.
But then, if you send a video through private group or chat, it won’t be made public. Akin to stickers or messages, these videos can be accessed from all devices (connected with respective accounts) later. It’s to note here, when you send a video message via private chat, you can even destroy it post a certain time-frame.
Live locations
Telegram introduced “Live Locations” in the 3rd quarter of 2017. As the name says, this feature enables Telegram users to share live location over a Telegram chat. To access this feature, you will just need to turn on device location on your device.
The Live Location feature on Telegram works on 3 timeframes- 1 hour, 8 hours and 15 minutes. You can reactivate it again as the previous timeframe expires. You can also choose to stop sharing of live location whenever you wish to.
Social Logins
Telegram launched social logins in the early quarter of 2018. Social logins on Telegram are based on widget which you can use on different websites. As a Telegram user, you can register as well as sign in via your Telegram username. The website through which you will sign in, will only receive your basic data and profile picture. Don’t worry, your other details will be kept private.
Final words
Undoubtedly the best of instant messaging applications, Telegram stands tall with its host of awesome features. Most importantly, the company keeps on adding in new features regularly to enhance the user experience further. Do you need any more impetus to join Telegram?
References
