Telegram update finally brings widgets and several more improvements

Telegram beta v7.5 adds QR codes for groups and new widgets.

Update, Feb 25 (2:30 pm ET): Telegram’s new features are going live for everyone

What you need to know

• The latest Telegram beta for Android adds group link QR codes.
• It also introduces two new widgets and multiple options to report content to moderators.
• The new features are likely to make their way to the stable channel sometime in the coming months.

The facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp has been mired in controversy ever since it announced its new privacy policy changes earlier this year. Telegram, which is one of the best messaging apps out there, has seen a massive uptick in downloads as many WhatsApp users are abandoning the app over privacy concerns.

While Telegram is already feature-rich, it looks the app will soon gain a bunch of new features. As spotted by the folks at TestingCatalog, the latest Telegram beta for Android adds several useful features, which are likely to make their way to the stable channel in the near future.

Telegram Beta v7.5 introduces QR codes for joining groups, which makes it possible to invite users to a group via QR codes. Once you share a QR code with Telegram users, they will be able to scan the code to join the group or channel. You can also now make invite links expire after a certain time period or after they have been used a certain number of times. If you have the latest Telegram beta installed on your phone, you will be able to invite users by QR codes and manage invite links by heading over to Group Settings in the app.

Additionally, the latest beta makes it easier to report content in groups or channels to Telegram moderators. Besides spam, you can now report posts for violence, child abuse, pornography, or “other.” Another new addition is the ability to report multiple messages at once.

Telegram beta v7.5 also adds two widgets: a 2×2 version that shows up to four thumbnails and a larger 5×2 version with tiny previews of your preferred chats and channels. While the widgets are automatically populated with your most recent chats by default, you can select your own preferred chats when you add them to your home screen.

Update, Feb 25 (2:30 pm ET) ― Telegram is rolling out its new features on the stable release

Telegram has officially announced these new features in a blog post. In addition to those listed above, groups that approach the 200,000 member limit convert into Broadcast groups, which will allow unlimited members. There are also new animated widgets and the auto-delete function is being expanded to all chats, which will set a timer to delete all messages that come after the selected one. Telegram is also improving its importing which will now sort messages based on their original date.

It should also be noted that widgets on Android and iOS will function a little differently. Both Android widgets can be expanded and the Chat widget will be kept up-to-date, while the iOS widgets cannot be expanded and will only update periodically.

The Telegram update should be rolling out for users on both iOS and Android.