Telegram, a widely-used instant messaging app, has released a range of new features this January, focusing on user privacy and enhanced messaging flexibility.

Key Highlights:

Telegram introduces view-once voice and video messages, automatically deleted after being played.
New pause and resume function for recording voice and video messages.
Exact read times available in private chats, with adjustable privacy settings.
One-Way Last Seen and Read Times feature allows selective visibility of read times.
Telegram Premium users get exclusive message permissions, controlling who can initiate conversations.

Telegram's Latest Features Enhance User Privacy and Flexibility

One-Time Voice and Video Messages: A significant update is the view-once setting for voice and video messages. This feature ensures messages are deleted after a single play, aiming to boost privacy and security.

Pause and Resume Recording: The app now allows users to pause and resume voice and video recordings, offering greater convenience and eliminating the need to restart recordings from scratch.

Read Time in Private Chats: A new addition to one-on-one chats is the ability to see the exact time messages are read. This feature is paired with adjustable privacy settings, letting users decide who can see their read times.

One-Way Last Seen and Read Times: Emphasizing user privacy, Telegram has rolled out One-Way Last Seen and Read Times. This means if a user chooses to hide their read time, they won’t see others’ read times. Premium users have the added benefit of hiding their read time while still seeing others’.

Private Message Permissions: Exclusive to Telegram Premium users, this feature lets them control who can send them messages, with options like Everyone, My Contacts, and Premium Users. It gives users greater control over who can initiate conversations, while still allowing responses from non-contacts or non-premium users if the conversation is started by the user with enabled settings.

Telegram hints at more updates to come throughout the month, promising to continually enhance the user experience.