BotNews

We've refreshed Botfather's interface, adding two new commands: /mybots and /mygames. The new interface is based on inline buttons and will keep your chat with Botfather neat and tidy. We're also adding status alerts for developers of popular bots today. If your bot is getting on the order of 300 requests per minute, Botfather will now contact you if it becomes less responsive than usual. (Make sure it's the real Botfather, look for the 'verified' badge). Read more about status alerts: https://core.telegram.org/bots#status-alerts

Introducing the new Gaming Platform. As of today, your bot can offer HTML5 games – anything from simple puzzles and arcades to multiplayer 3D-shooters and real-time strategy games. Read the blog announcement: https://telegram.org/blog/games Check out our introduction to Games: https://core.telegram.org/bots/games Also in this update: - You can now specify an HTTP URL for a file in all methods where InputFile or file_id can be used. Telegram will get the file from the specified URL and send it to the user. - Added a new method for checking current webhook status. - Added a detailed guide to webhooks: https://core.telegram.org/bots/webhooks - And more. See the full changelog: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api#recent-changes

And it's up again. All good! Be sure to ping bot support if you're still having issues. Stay tuned for cool updates coming very soon!

A DDoS attack on the Bot API is in progress. Hang on tight, we're fighting back.

Inline keyboards may now be used in groups and are coming to channels soon. Check out our @vote and @like bots for some examples. More about inline keyboards: https://core.telegram.org/bots#inline-keyboards-and-on-the-fly-updating

Bot API v.2.1. is here. We've added support for edited messages and new mentions from Telegram 3.9., and introduced a handful of new methods for group administrator bots. Your bot can now get a list of administrators in a group, know how many members there are in a group and check a user's current status (administrator, creator, left the group, kicked from the group). If a group starts getting on your bot's nerves, the bot can now leave it using the new leaveChat method. Check out the full changelog here: https://core.telegram.org/bots/api#recent-changes

Recent updates: - Added consistency to what messages bots get in groups and supergroups. https://core.telegram.org/bots/faq#what-messages-will-my-bot-get - Bots can now get the relevant emoji for a sticker. https://core.telegram.org/bots/api#recent-changes

#BotTip If you created a cool bot and would like to get a better username, ping us at @BotSupport. We love bot developers, and we don't like squatters here. Just make sure you already have a working bot worthy of the name. 😎

Good news, everyone! Your bot can win a grant of $25K or more this year. Pavel Durov will be giving away 1 million dollars to bot developers in 2016. Check this post for details: https://telegram.org/blog/botprize

Check out these cool sample bots to see where this is going: @music – find and share public domain classical music @sticker – find and share stickers based on emoji input @foursquare – find and share venues near you @youtube – connect your youtube account and share personalized videos