Telegram, a messaging service, will introduce a paid membership option for its users this month, according to creator Pavel Durov. Telegram Premium users will have a larger restriction for conversations, media, and file uploads, according to a blog post by Durov.
“The only way to let our most demanding fans get more while keeping our existing features free is to make those raised limits a paid option,” he said.
The app, along with messaging tool Signal, have seen an increase in users following privacy concerns with larger rival WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms Inc. Telegram currently has 500 million monthly active users and is one of the 10 most downloaded apps in the world, according to its website https://telegram.org/faq.
Durov said the move to offer a paid subscription was to ensure that Telegram remains funded primarily by its users and not advertisers.
