Telegram brings March update with Chromecast support, Star Messages, and more

Telegram is back with a freshly baked set of updates for creators and general users on its instant messaging app. These new features give them more control over privacy and better monetization options while the company gears up for its spring updates.

If you regularly exchange videos via Telegram, you can cast them to a Chromecast-enabled device without leaving the app and watch them on a big screen. Telegram said the feature is currently available on Android devices where you can choose the playback speed and quality or play the video on a loop.

Those who get a truckload of messages daily can use Star Messages to filter out unwanted chats from their inbox. They can set a fee for messages from people not on their contact list. This fee is not paid in direct cash but in Stars, a virtual currency on Telegram used to purchase digital goods.

In other words, Star Messages allows users to have peace of mind while making some extra bucks on the side. The feature requires a Telegram Premium subscription and is compatible with groups and channel discussions.

Users can choose how many Stars they want to charge per message using a slider. They get 85% of the selected fee while the rest goes to Telegram. However, users can allow certain people to message them without a fee or make an instant refund of the amount after a message is sent.

Speaking of unknown users, Telegram now shows a detailed info page for such senders to spot scams and dodge impersonators. The info screen can have various information, including their country, any shared groups in common, whether it's an official account, when they joined Telegram, and when they last updated their user name or profile picture.

The Stars earned from new senders or elsewhere can now be used to buy a Telegram Premium subscription or gift it to others. Users and groups can also withdraw these stars via Fragment and convert them into rewards to purchase collectibles on the TON blockchain, Telegram Ads, and more.

Businesses can already use Telegram's infrastructure to verify their customer's phone numbers instead of relying on traditional SMS. The company notes its Verification Platform is about nine times cheaper than other services. While SMS can cost about $0.50/message, Telegram only charges $0.01/message.

Its updated Verification Platform now allows developers to cut unnecessary costs. They can set a maximum delivery time for a code; if it's not delivered within that time, the amount is automatically refunded.

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