Telegram’s mini apps store goes live with 500 million monthly users

Telegram has announced that its mini-apps store and in-app web3 browser are now live. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov first announced the upcoming features two weeks earlier. The company said the store and browser are part of a larger update meant to boost user engagement on the messaging platform.

In a blog post, Telegram said the mini-app store will allow developers to create and share mini-apps, web applications that run inside the social platform. Crypto projects can use the apps to launch directly in Telegram. The platform added a new apps tab in Search, which allows users to browse through the mini-apps that appear on the site.

Telegram reveals in-app web3 browser and other features  

Durov says around 500 million people interact with the mini-apps every month. It also said the new apps in the search feature will let them go through the list of apps they already use on Telegram, including the most popular ones. The latest update also means that developers will be able to upload previews of their mini-apps as video demos and screenshots.

According to Telegram, content created via mini-apps like leaderboard snapshots or AI-generated videos, can now be shared as a Telegram story directly from the mini-app. Stories – Telegram’s equivalent of “My Status” or “Updates” on WhatsApp – also has a new animated weather widget.

Telegram Stars, an in-app virtual currency originally intended for the purchase of digital goods in mini-apps or paid channel content, can now be sent as a gift to friends and family.

Telegram also introduced a new in-app web3 browser that people can use to open multiple tabs simultaneously. The browser allows users to switch between collapsed and reopened windows. While viewing a webpage, people can move back to chats or other websites without losing their previous pages, the company said.

Telegram sees rapid growth 

Telegram’s new in-app browser also supports decentralized websites hosted on The Open Network (TON) on mobile and desktop platforms.

Durov, the Telegram CEO, recently said, “Hundreds of millions of people [will] become familiar with blockchain” in 2024. He believes Telegram, which is used by 950 million people worldwide, “is at the epicenter of this societal transformation.”

The platform, together with its TON blockchain, has become a hub for so-called “clicker games” like Hamster Kombat, Tapswap, and Notcoin. The games, which pay people for tapping their smartphone screens, enjoy a huge following. Hamster Kombat alone claims to have over 250 million players.