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Again Telegram anticipates WhatsApp: while the Facebook group platform is still doing experiments in a few countries around the world (here we tell you where WhatsApp has arrived), that of Pavel Durov has just launched globally (along with many other innovations) the possibility of doing payments without exiting the application.
To be precise, Telegram has launched "payments 2.0", because already in 2017 it had begun to give its users the possibility to make purchases from the app, but only by interfacing with a bot, a code that offers automated responses to potential customers. Now, instead, any merchant (in flesh and blood) can communicate with customers via a Telegram chat and allow them to finalize a purchase without ever leaving the app to go to an external payment site. However, Telegram is not managing the transaction and this, after all, is also an advantage for everyone.
How payments 2.0 works
The key to the success of the payment system launched by Telegram, and the difference with what WhatsApp is making, is that the exchange of money is managed by a outdoor platform. Telegram has partnered with eight major companies in the sector (and more will come in the future):
- Stripe
- Yandex.Money
- Sberbank
- Tranzzo
- Payme
- CLICK
- Liqpay
- ECOMMPAY
In this way, in a normal Telegram chat, the merchant can send the customer the link to the item or service to buy and the user simply has to tap the payment icon. Neither will exit the app, but the payment will be made and, in addition, the user will also have the opportunity to add a tip which will go directly to the merchant.
Payments 2.0, the privacy issue
The choice of relying on an external payment platform, rather than developing one at home, involves the fact that Telegram does not receive or record any data on the economic transaction between merchant and customers. No information on what was bought, how much was paid, the payment method used is sent to Telegram.
Everything passes from the chosen platform and Telegram doesn't even take a percentage on the value of the purchase.
Telegram, the other news
Along with payments 2.0, which certainly constitute the most impactful novelty for users, Telegram has also announced numerous other innovations.
The first is the scheduled voice chats in groups and channels (we talked about it here), direct lunge to Clubhouse: when one is scheduled, the user enrolled in the group or channel will see a countdown, but the chat will start only when the administrator actually presses the button startup.
Also within the voice chats, then, the "mini profiles" arrive: it is now possible to look at who participates in the voice chat and tap on the icon of one of the participants to see the larger image and read the bio of that person . It serves a better understand who we are chatting with.
Also, Telegram has just launched two new web apps complete with animated stickers, dark mode and chat folders, has improved the video player and introduced the "pinch to zoom": it is now possible to zoom in on a photo shared in chat using the classic pinch with two fingers. Pinch to zoom even works with opening photos of web pages shared via links.
It's official: the 2.0 payments have arrived on Telegram
