Telegram’s latest update improves message reactions, adds video stickers, and more

Ben Schoon | Feb 1 2022 - 9:08 am PT

Telegram is one of the best ways to send messages on Android smartphones and tablets, and the app’s latest update delivers some welcome improvements. Telegram is paving the way for many more stickers to arrive, as well as improving message reactions and more.

Detailed in a blog post, Telegram is rolling out an update to both Android and iOS that delivers four notable upgrades, along with a bunch of bug fixes.

The biggest addition is that of video stickers, which ought to give Telegram an easy way to expand its catalog of stickers. These new video stickers in Telegram can be converted from videos, which enables them to be created and edited from more readily-available programs. It also opens the door for stickers from other apps to easily be used in Telegram. Prior to this change, Telegram stickers had to be custom-made for the app using programs such as Adobe Illustrator.

In related changes, Telegram is also working on reactions and emoji. This latest update improves message reactions with more options for users to choose from, as well as the ability to increase the size/impact of the reaction by holding down on its icon for longer. By default, animations for reactions have been made smaller. “Interactive Emoji” in one-on-one chats have also been expanded.

Finally, this update has also improved navigation, with a new long-press menu on the back button to easily return to a specific chat, something that’ll surely come in handy when moving through forwarded messages.