Telegram offers users many group chat features, and a recent update has added Topics to the list. As a part of its November update, Telegram also released features like Voice-to-Text for Video Messages and new Emoji packs for Premium users. While the former converts videos to text-based transcripts, the latter allows users to use exclusive emojis in chats. The update also brought new features for regular users, including a redesigned night mode for iOS that has better blurring effects, the ability to resize the text size in chat for Android users, and four new interactive emojis that play full-screen animations in one-on-one conversations.
As per the official Telegram blog post, groups with over 200 members can now “enable Topics and create separate spaces for any subject.” With their shared media and notification settings, Topics are like a separate section for individual chats within the group. In addition, group members can access features like polls, pinned messages, and bots in Topics. However, only admins can enable Topics or decide who can create and manage Topics for a group.
Telegram Topics Can Organize Group Chats
To enable Topics in a group, admins need to tap on the group’s icon in the top right corner and select ‘Edit’ on the group info screen. If they are using the latest Telegram version, admins can enable the ‘Topics‘ option below ‘Reactions.’
Once the feature is enabled, admins can create a dedicated space inside a Telegram group where members can chat about a particular subject by tapping on the three dots in the top-right corner and tapping on ‘New Topic.’ On the following screen, admins will be asked to enter the Topic title and tap on ‘Create.’ Finally, they’ll have to send a message to start the topic. In addition, group admins can decide to allow certain members to create Topics through the group Permissions option.
In a Topics-enabled chat, members can view messages in two ways. First, they can set the group to ‘View as Topics,’ a setting that divides the entire chat into Topics and shows them as options when a user taps on a group. The second option is ‘View as Messages,’ which shows all the messages sent in the group in chronological order, like regular group chats. Topics are a great way to organize large group chats, as they will make finding relevant conversations easier for users.
Getting Started With Telegram Groups
While the current Telegram Topics feature is available for large groups, the platform is working on a set of tools for smaller groups. Those who are not a part of a large Telegram group but want to try out the Topics feature can join The Forum, which is a public group. Public groups like The Forum support up to 200,000 members and can be accessed from desktop or mobile. They don’t require an invitation, and are visible even if the user isn’t logged into a Telegram account. Private groups, on the other hand, require the user be added by an admin or join via an invite link.
Telegram users can also choose to create groups themselves by navigating to the menu in a message or chat list and selecting ‘New Group.’ They can then invite other members from their contacts or by searching their username, or by sending out the invite link. Users will also be able to designate admins. The group will have to be big enough in order to make use of certain tools, though.
