Cloud chats
Store the entire chat history in the Telegram cloud and access it from any signed-in device. There is no size cap, no history-clip after 30 days, and no plan gate.
Feature tour · English
Telegram feature overview: cloud chat, secret chat, channels, calls and bots
Telegram has grown far past a simple chat app. This page maps the eight capabilities that matter most to daily use, then zooms into channels, bots, calls and cloud storage - all with visual examples.
The eight pillars of Telegram
Anything you can do with Telegram traces back to one of these building blocks. They are all free and available in every official client.
Secret Chats
Device-to-device end-to-end encrypted conversations with self-destruct timers, screenshot alerts and forward blocking. Perfect for one-off sensitive exchanges.
2 GB file transfers
Send raw video, disk images, code archives or a whole photo album in one message. Recipients get instant streaming previews across every client.
Communities of any size
Groups scale to 200,000 members with topic threads, slow-mode timers and boosted styling. Channels have no subscriber ceiling.
Bots and Mini Apps
The Bot API is free and open - build chat automations, in-chat storefronts or full JavaScript Mini Apps that render inside Telegram.
HD voice and video
Group calls scale to 30 speakers and 1,000+ listeners with noise suppression, screen sharing and adaptive bitrate on wobbly networks.
Instant multi-device sync
Sign in on up to ten devices simultaneously - phone, tablet, laptop, browser - and every message replicates in real time.
Delivery speed
Data centres in every continent route each message to the nearest node, keeping average delivery under 100 ms.
Deep dive · 01
Channels, Groups and Topics
Channels are one-to-many broadcast tools with unlimited subscribers, powerful analytics and boost mechanics that unlock custom emoji packs and rich styling.
Groups can grow to 200,000 members. Topic threads (a.k.a. Forum Mode) split conversation into channels-within-a-channel, so an active community can host announcements, help and off-topic side-by-side.
Every channel and group can be moderated by up to 50 admins with granular permission bits - ban, delete, pin, edit topics, invite links with expiry, and per-user slow-mode timers.
Deep dive · 02
Bots, Mini Apps and Payments
Every bot is a webhook endpoint or a long-polling worker on your server. The Bot API is JSON over HTTPS and covers text, media, custom keyboards, inline queries, WebApp launches and payments.
Mini Apps are full JavaScript apps rendered inside the Telegram client. They can request user data, launch payment flows and use native theming so they look right in dark or light mode.
Payments 2.0 supports 20+ providers globally - Stripe, Paymob, Yookassa, Adyen and more - with no cut taken by Telegram.
Deep dive · 03
Voice, video and group calls
One-to-one calls use WebRTC over MTProto with end-to-end encryption. Ping stays low even across continents thanks to Telegram's distributed voice servers.
Group video calls scale to 30 active speakers and unlimited listeners. Screen sharing is available on desktop clients and iPad, and every participant can push-to-talk or use hand-raise.
Live audio streams turn any channel into a public podcast studio - recording is one tap and downloads for the host straight after the session.
Deep dive · 04
Cloud storage that follows you
Every file you send is stored in the cloud so you can re-download it on any signed-in device. There is no expiry and no shared quota across chats.
Free accounts send up to 2 GB per file. Premium doubles that to 4 GB, adds faster downloads and lifts most other soft limits.
Chat search indexes filenames, captions and OCR-able images, so finding that one spreadsheet from three months ago is a matter of seconds.
Optional: Telegram Premium
A support tier, not a paywall
Everything on this page is free. Premium is an optional subscription that unlocks bigger uploads, faster downloads and a handful of extras. You never need it to send a message or join a channel.
- Upload limit
- 4 GB per file
- Download speed
- 2× the free tier
- Premium stickers
- Full pack access
- Custom app icons
- iOS · Android
- No sponsored posts
- In channels
- Voice-to-text
- In private chats
Ready to explore Telegram in person?
Every capability on this page is available the moment you sign in. Pick a platform to install, then head to the getting-started guide.