Telegram update brings chatbot payments and short video messages

Joining the ranks of fellow end-to-end encryption messengers WhatsApp and Signal, Telegram just announced support for short video messages.

In addition to the ability to record short clips, the company is also launching a dedicated video hosting platform where users can freely share content with followers. The best thing is that Telescope – as it is called – lets practically anyone follow your feed, no registration required.

All videos uploaded to Telescope will get public URLs so you can further share your clips with your friends and acquaintances.

Here’s how you can send a video message:

To send a video message, go to any chat on Telegram and tap the mic icon to switch to camera mode. Now all you need to do is tap and hold the camera icon and record a video message. When you’re done, just release the recording button to dispatch your message — and it will arrive in the blink of an eye.

With the latest iteration (4.0), Telegram has also introduced payments with chatbots. This means you’ll now be able to order food, hail a cab or top up your subway pass by simply dropping a line to one of the bots available in the platform.

The company further boasts its bot payments support Apple Pay for a “completely frictionless experience.”

Telegram has put up a demo page where you can try out its new ShopBot system to get a taste of what’s coming.