Telegram pulls the plug on its Wear OS app alongside 8.0 update [U]

Ben Schoon | Sep 1 2021 - 11:55 am PT

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The popular messaging service Telegram just released its 8.0 update today with a few new features, but there’s an unfortunate loss for Android users. Unfortunately, it seems like Telegram has quietly killed off its Wear OS app.

Telegram 8.0 brings with it a few key changes including unlocking all limits on the size of a livestream’s audience. Viewers can now be unlimited. Messaging forwarding is also getting a couple of upgrades with the ability to hide captions or the sender’s name. Telegram will also now show trending stickers and improve the process of picking stickers on its Android app. Finally, more emoji will also be animated when they’re sent as an individual message.

The biggest change this update brings, though, appears to be the end of Telegram’s Wear OS app. The app has suddenly disappeared from the Google Play Store on Wear OS on our Galaxy Watch 4 and Moto 360 devices following this update’s release. This is notable because it was available as recently as Sunday evening.

As pictured below, the app no longer appears when searching for “Telegram” in the Play Store. That means it can’t be re-downloaded, but it should remain in place if it’s already on your smartwatch.

We’ve reached out to Telegram to confirm whether the service’s Wear OS app is truly being given the boot, but the company wasn’t available for an immediate statement.

Update 9/1: While Telegram’s press team has yet to acknowledge our statement, Telegram support has confirmed that the app is no longer available for download from the Play Store. It was added that, while the app will still be installed for those who had it, the app “may stop working soon.”

Starting with Telegram v8.0, the WearOS app will not be available to download anymore. Note that If you still have Telegram installed on your WearOS device, it may stop working soon.