Telegram received a major update today that includes new in-app notifications and a complete rewrite of the encrypted messaging app in Apple's Swift coding language, resulting in all-round faster performance and better energy efficiency.
On the face of it, the Telegram 5.0 interface looks just like the previous version, but the developers say that rebuilding the app in Swift has made it "faster, sleeker and more battery-friendly," and has also removed a bunch of persistent bugs.
The speed improvements should be immediately noticeable, particularly when viewing animations in chat threads and syncing messages across multiple devices. At the same time, the new in-app notifications allow users to keep on top of new messages without leaving conversations. From the Telegram blog:
The new expandable in-app notifications will help you focus on whatever you're doing in the app without having to ignore incoming messages. When a notification arrives, pull it down to open the relevant chat. When you’re done with the interruption, simply close it to get right back to what you were doing.
Elsewhere, the app now includes streaming support for audio files and improved navigation for busy chats, while the app icon message counter has been tweaked so that it no longer shows the number of unread messages in muted chats, which should make it a lot more informative.
Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]
Top Rated Comments
Their Telegram X app, which was like the incubator for this new codebase, also had no Apple Watch app, and I was kinda hoping that they would add one back in before replacing the main Telegram all with the new codebase but alas it seems they went ahead with the update without an Apple Watch app.
2. iMessage is only for messaging. Telegram is both text and audio
3. iMessage may be secure, but I trust Telegram (just read news about their encounter with Russian FSB)
4. Telegram interface is more organized.
[doublepost=1538225681][/doublepost]Because it available on non iOS devices.