Telegram Premium subscription may cost Rs 349 per month in India

Telegram Premium has reportedly started rolling out to users in India. The instant messaging app announced earlier this month that it would put some advanced features behind a paywall and allow users to access them through a subscription. This is the first time Telegram has started a freemium model for its app since it became available nine years ago.

IndiaTodayTech has seen the screenshot posted on a Telegram group by a user claiming to have access to Telegram Premium. According to the screenshot of the Telegram Windows 11 app, Telegram Premium costs Rs 349 per month. For that price, subscribers will get access to "additional features, speed, and resources." Telegram did not comment.

"Go beyond the limits, get exclusive features and support us by subscribing to Telegram Premium," the description of Telegram Premium reads. The list of features, as mentioned on the Telegram Premium page, includes duplicate limits, 4 GB upload size, faster download speed, speech to text, no ads, unusual reactions, premium stickers, advanced email management, chat, profile badge, animated profile pictures. and a premium app icon.

It should be noted that these features are not currently available to regular Telegram users. For example, the file upload size is now 2 GB, but subscribers will gain access to an additional 2 GB. Telegram also said that features that are currently available to free users would continue to be accessible. "Moreover, even users who don't subscribe to Telegram Premium will be able to enjoy some of its benefits: for example, they will be able to view extra-large documents, media and stickers sent by Premium users, or tap to add Premium reactions already pinned to a message to react in the same way," Telegram founder Pavel Durov wrote on Telegram.

Telegram Premium is similar to Twitter Blue, and offers paid subscribers access to services such as the Undo Tweet option to revert posting a tweet, a replacement for the edit button that Twitter said it is currently working on. But a subscription is great for people who spend a lot of time on a particular app. For those who don't, the features available in the free tier are plenty. At the same time, a subscription also means a reasonably good proportion of users who love Telegram and want access to additional features.