BotNews

Affiliate Programs and Bot API 8.1 Starting today, Bot and Mini App developers can launch their own Affiliate Programs, and specify how much of their future ⭐️Star revenue from referred users they are willing to share with those who invited them. It only takes a few taps to set up an Affiliate Program — you can find out more in our dedicated guide. With Bot API 8.1, all bots can also detect commissions and affiliate transactions out of the box, see the full changelog for details. ⚠️Warning: As of December 1 2024, messages with video posted in big communities can be delayed by the server until the respective video is reencoded. Read more here.

Bot API 8.0 Announcing the largest update in the history of Mini Apps🎉 Full-Screen Mode • Mini Apps can now use the entire screen – allowing them to host immersive games 🚀 with expanded interfaces. Geolocation and Motion Tracking • Mini Apps can now prompt users for Geolocation Access, allowing them to build virtually any location-based🗺 service. • Likewise, Mini Apps can request acceleration, orientation and rotation data from devices in real time. Paid Subscriptions • Subscriptions Plans powered by ⭐️Telegram Stars are now available to all Bots and Mini Apps. • Apps can accept recurring payments – or cancel them at any time. Gifts for Stars • Bots and Mini Apps can now use star proceeds to send Paid Gifts🎁 to users with a custom caption. Home Screen Shortcuts • Mini apps can now be accessed via direct shortcuts added to the home screen of 📱 mobile devices. Emoji Statuses • Mini Apps can now let users pick a new emoji status🚕 with a native dialog – or request access to later sync it with in-game badges, third-party APIs and more. Sharingand Downloading Media • Mini Apps can now let users share media directly to any chat – with granular selection parameters. • Introduced a native popup to ⬇️download files from an App. Customizable Loading Screen • The loading screen of mini apps can now be customized🖥 in @Botfather – adding your own logo and brand colors. Hardware-specific Optimizations • Mini Apps on Android now receive basic hardware info – enabling smoother usage and gaming 🏎 experiences for users. • And so much more, see our blog for high-quality demos and the full changelog for details: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#november-17-2024 ⚠️Warning: Starting December 1, 2024 messages with video posted in big communities can be delayed by the server until the respective video is reencoded. Read more here.

Bot API 7.11 • Bots can now participate in revenue sharing from Telegram Ads ⭐️ – unlocking a new way to help support their development. • Introduced Paid Broadcasts⭐️ – allowing bots to broadcast up to 1000 messages per second. • Bots can now send and receive chat-specific hashtags that only show posts and stories from a specific chat when tapped. • Added a new inline button to let users copy text in one tap. • Bots can now add media to existing text messages. • And more, see the full changelog for details: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#october-31-2024 ⚠️Warning: Starting December 1, 2024 messages with video posted in big communities can be delayed by the server until the respective video is reencoded. Read more here.

Bot API 7.10 • Introduced support for Telegram Star Giveaways⭐️. • Bots now receive updates when users purchase paid media. • Mini Apps can now display and control a secondary button at the bottom of their interface. • The bottom bar color of Mini Apps can now be customized. • And more, see the full changelog for details: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#september-6-2024

Standard Bot Privacy Policy As previously announced, all Bots and Mini Apps must provide a Privacy Policy detailing how they handle user data. To facilitate this process, we published a Standard Privacy Policy which applies by default to all Bots and Mini Apps that don't have their own. This policy broadly covers the data handling practices of most apps on Telegram, simplifying compliance for developers and adding transparency for users. Alternatively, you can now set up your own Privacy Policy directly on @BotFather – allowing users to access it from a dedicated button in your Mini App's settings menu. Please ensure our Standard Policy suits your needs – and publish your own via @BotFather if it does not. For more details, please reference Section 4 of the Bot Developer Terms.

Bot API 7.9 • Introduced Star Subscriptions ⭐️ – allowing bots to manage subscription-basedinvite links. • Bots can now send Paid Media to any chat, including on behalf of Business Accounts. • Added support for Super Channels – where admins may post as their own profiles or channels. • And more, see the full changelog for details: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#august-14-2024

Today's update introduces a new Mini App Store – to highlight successful Mini Apps that utilize Stars⭐️, making them easily accessible to the more than 500million users who interact with mini apps each month (out of Telegram's 950 million monthly users). If your bot is a mini app, you can add a prominent Launch app buttonas well as demo videos and screenshots to the bot’s profile. To do this, go to @BotFather and set up your bot's Main Mini App.

Bot API 7.8 • Introduced Main Mini Apps, which can be previewed and launched directly from a link or the bot's profile. • Mini Apps can now seamlessly share media to the native Story editor. • Added support for managing pinned messages on behalf of business accounts. • And more, see the full changelog for details: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#july-31-2024

Bot API 7.7 • Mini Apps can now disable vertical swipes – preventing users from exiting by accident. • Bots can now detect service messages about refunded payments. • And more, see the full changelog for details: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#july-7-2024

Bot Privacy Policies Bots and mini apps must comply with all applicable privacy laws and regulations – including those from Apple and Google stores. To remain in compliance with Apple guideline 5.1.1 (i), bots and mini apps must provide a Privacy Policy detailing what data they store, how they collect it, and for what purpose. Operating without a separate Privacy Policy will lead to suspension or termination of your bot on Telegram. Mini apps can make their Privacy Policy easily accessible by including a link to it on a 'Settings' page, while bots must make it available via the /privacy command. For more information about these requirements, please see this section of the Bot Developer Terms of Service.

Star Reward Withdrawals, Subsidized Ads and Bot API 7.6 Developers of bots accepting Telegram Stars⭐️ can now withdraw rewards via the TON blockchain, or use stars to place subsidized Ads on Telegram. Telegram takes nearly 0% commission and adds a 30% discount for ads to compensate for third-party payment system fees – you can read more here. Bot API 7.6, released today, adds even more improvements for all bots and mini apps, like: • Native multitasking – allowing mini apps to be minimized and expanded without loading delays. • Default full-screen mode for mini apps opened by direct link. • Support for sending paid media content on behalf of content creators. • Updated transaction history, with support for Telegram Ads and bot-specified payloads. • And more, see the full changelog for details.

Bot API 7.5 Telegram Stars • Bots can now use getStarTransactions to retrieve information about their Telegram Star transactions and withdrawals. Telegram Business • Messages sent on behalf of a business account now support callback inline buttons. • Added support for editing business messages. • And more, see the full changelog for details: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog#june-18-2024