Tuesday

Telegram Update Brings Location-Based Chats, Add People Nearby Option, and More

Encrypted messaging platform Telegram has pushed out an update that introduces a number of new location-based features, including the ability to Add People Nearby.

Users of the chat app can open Contacts -> Add People Nearby to quickly exchange contact info with Telegram users who are standing next to them and also have the same section of the app open.

The new People Nearby section also has a new Groups Nearby option, which shows location-based group chats open for anyone around to join. Users can also Create a Local Group to unite people nearby in a new chat group.

In a previous update, Telegram also added a way for users to control who can see their phone number. This update builds on the new privacy setting by enabling users to add people to their contacts, even if they don’t know their number.

This can be done simply by tapping the new Add to Contacts button at the top of every chat thread.

Elsewhere, this update also includes an option to transfer ownership rights over groups and channels to another user, a new toggle to allow message previews for specific chats, support for Siri Shortcuts, and revamped app theme settings.