Telegram is experimenting with locking its new advanced message formatting tools behind its Premium subscription. In the latest Android beta (version 12.9), users can access a revamped message editor featuring rich formatting options-but only Telegram Premium subscribers can actually send messages created with it, according to a report from Kod Durov. While anyone can open the editor, trying to send a richly formatted message without Premium triggers an access restriction prompt.
This new editor transforms a simple text message into something closer to a mini-document. It supports headers, standard and inline quotes, code blocks, footers, bulleted and numbered lists, checklists, and collapsible sections. Users can attach photos, audio, and location data, and can even include Telegram Premium-exclusive emojis to spice up messages.
On Android, the formatting screen still includes an AI-powered editor button, allowing users to generate entire messages via neural network assistance. Interestingly, this feature was removed earlier on iOS, as previously reported by Kod Durov.
This approach isn’t entirely new for Telegram. Back in version 12.8, the app added Markdown support with tables, formulas, and quotes-but that was limited to bots only. The current move brings similar capabilities to regular chats, only with a paywall attached at launch.
Telegram Premium, introduced in summer 2022, already offers users benefits like increased limits, voice message transcription, exclusive reactions, and an ad-free experience in major public channels. If Telegram follows through, advanced formatting could give non-paying users one less reason to stick around-making this another example of the messenger selling not just speed or capacity, but the very way messages are composed and presented.
For context, Telegram Premium competes with subscription tiers from other messaging giants like Apple’s iMessage and WhatsApp (Meta’s paid features are still limited). Telegram’s strategy to gate creative message tools may help boost revenue but risks alienating its huge base of free users who value the service’s openness.
Going forward, keep an eye on whether Telegram rolls out these formatting features fully behind a paywall or adjusts access based on user feedback. This experiment could redefine what premium means in messaging apps-beyond faster uploads or bigger storage-to shaping how people actually write and share content in chats.