Telegram Introduces a "Liquid Glass" Effect Design in the iOS 26 App, Comments in Group Calls, and Contact Notes

Telegram has announced its latest autumn update, rolling out a suite of new features and design improvements. Here's a look at what's new, as detailed in the company's official blog post.

Visual and UI Enhancements

  • Refreshed iOS Design: The app now features a modern liquid glass effect, with translucent elements on the bottom navigation bar, keyboard, and sticker panel, creating a more dynamic interface.
  • Private Contact Notes: You can now add notes to your contacts, such as their workplace or other key details. These notes are only visible to you and appear conveniently in the contact's profile.
  • Birthday Suggestions: When editing a contact, you can now suggest adding their birthday to their profile, helping you keep track of important dates.
The new 'liquid glass' effect on iOS. Image source: Telegram

Improved Communication Features

  • In-Call Comments & Reactions: During group calls and video chats (in groups with fewer than 1000 members), participants can send comments and animated reactions that appear on-screen for everyone.
  • Topic Support for Bots: Bots can now organize conversations into topics, a feature especially useful for AI assistants, allowing users to easily navigate and reference previous discussions.
Tap the message button to send reactions during a call. Image source: Telegram

Upgrades to Gifting and Digital Collectibles

  • Revamped Gifting Interface: The gift-sending menu has been streamlined to display all available options in a single list. It also now shows the exact time until a gift upgrade becomes available at a discount.
  • Removable Gift Captions: You can now delete captions from gifts purchased with Stars (Telegram's internal currency). This helps hide a message from your profile or increase the gift's resale value on the marketplace.
  • Fragment Platform Integration: Connect your account to Fragment to display your blockchain-based gifts directly on your Telegram profile.
The updated gift-sending interface. Image source: Telegram

Feedback and Platform Updates

  • Official Bug Reporting App: The platform for submitting suggestions and bug reports is now available as an official mini-app called Bugs and Suggestions, which can be accessed here.
The new 'Bugs and Suggestions' mini-app. Image source: Telegram