Telegram rolls out July update with rich text editor, Communities, and private bot messages

Telegram has released version 12.9, introducing a major update that brings a rich text editor, Communities, private bot messages, and several other features.

Rich Text Editor

Telegram has introduced a new editor that supports headings, tables, lists, quotes, and code blocks. Users can also insert photos and videos directly into the middle of a post instead of attaching them separately.

The editor supports messages of up to 32,768 characters. It is currently available only to Telegram Premium subscribers.

Telegram also says the editor integrates AI-powered writing tools based on Cocoon, allowing users to generate text while preserving privacy.

Communities

Telegram now lets users group multiple channels, supergroups, and bots into a single Community. Members can browse all available chats and join them directly from one place.

Community chats can be visible to everyone or hidden from everyone except administrators and members of those specific chats. Communities can also be displayed either as a single expandable item in the chat list or as separate chats.

By default, any Community member can add new chats, although owners can restrict that permission or require administrator approval for new additions.

Durov's Code recently published a detailed guide explaining how Communities work, what they can be used for, and why they could become one of Telegram’s biggest platform changes:

Telegram Is Testing Communities. Here’s How They Work and Why Everyone Is Comparing Them to Discord

Telegram is testing one of its most significant new features in recent months: Communities. Here’s what they are, how they work, and why you might actually want to use them.

Durov˙s CodeDaria Ivanova

Ephemeral bot messages

Bots can now send ephemeral messages inside group chats that are visible only to the intended recipient. The feature is designed for use cases such as welcome messages, AI-generated summaries, error notifications, confirmation requests, and interactive menus.

Bots can send these messages automatically or in response to commands marked as ephemeral in the bot menu. Those commands are also visible only to the user and the bot.

350 million GIFs

Telegram has expanded its GIF search to more than 350 million GIFs across 36 languages.

According to the company, the updated search relies on offline indexing of publicly available GIFs using open-source AI models. Telegram says the system is fully private and does not rely on third-party services, making GIF searches both faster and more privacy-friendly.