Top 20 Telegram Features: Scheduled Messages, Instant Preview, and More

Telegram is one of the most popular messaging platforms out there. Here, we list some of our favorite Telegram features and why we love them!
Faye Chong
Faye Chong

Content Marketing Lead

Reading time: 10 minutes

A popular alternative to WhatsApp, Telegram has taken over the instant messaging space and transformed the way we communicate with one another.

With a variety of useful features and more to come, Telegram is definitely proving to its users that it is worth using.

But, you’re probably wondering: what features make Telegram, Telegram? And how can I use these features?

Well, that’s why we’ve compiled a list of our favorite Telegram features and how they’re useful!

Contents

1. Instant Preview

What does this feature do?

It creates an “Instant preview” so you can read almost anything from the internet within Telegram. There is almost no loading time, and it is easily readable.

Simply click on the “Instant preview” button and the page will appear.

Why I love this feature

It’s very convenient especially if you’re on mobile. You won’t be redirected to external sites and can read it comfortably on the chat screen. 

Also, there’s almost no need to wait for it to load, hence “instant” viewing!

2. Edit sent messages

Edit sent messages on Telegram.
Edit sent messages on Telegram.

What does this feature do?

Telegram allows you to edit the text of messages that you’ve already sent. Say goodbye to awkward typos! You can edit messages in group chats and individual conversations. 

To edit a message, tap and hold on the message and select “Edit”.

Why I love this feature

Being able to edit sent messages means you can easily change the message without having to send a new one or delete the message entirely.

Also, let’s not forget all the times when auto-correct messes up what we want to say. Think back to all those embarrassing moments when you send up sending a crude message by accident all thanks to auto-correct! 🤣

3. Send silent messages

What does this feature do?

You can send messages to a person without notifying them. Basically, you can send messages and it will not make any sound or vibration.

Just tap and hold the “Send” button and click on “Send without sound”.

Why I love this feature

This is really useful if you want to contact a person but you know that they’re in a meeting or asleep. Sending messages without sound still lets you reach out to them without disrupting their day.

4. Delete another person’s messages

What does this feature do?

It’s common for you to delete your own messages, but Telegram also lets you delete someone else’s messages! 

Select the message you want to delete, then choose “Delete”. Select or check the box that says “Also delete from (recipient’s name)” and the message will be deleted for both parties without them even knowing.

Why I love this feature

Telegram lives up to its claim of prioritizing user privacy. Your sender sent some sensitive information that you don’t want others to see 👀? Just delete it.

5. Send scheduled messages

What does this feature do?

Think email scheduling, but for text messages. You can send text messages to a certain person (or yourself) at a specified date and time.

After typing your message in the chat of the recipient, tap and hold the “Send” button and select schedule message. Pick a preferred date and time and click on “Send”.

This also works in your ‘Saved Messages’ chat.

Why I love this feature

You can send messages to people without having to be present at that time to hit the send button.

Want to send a birthday message at midnight but can’t stay up? Want to send a reminder text at a specified time? Want to message a person from a different time zone? Schedule that message!

6. Send animated stickers

What does this feature do?

Telegram was one of the first social messaging platforms that normalized animated stickers. 

With its collection of high-quality animated stickers, or the option to create your own sticker pack, you can create a lively and fun experience in your chats! 

Why I love this feature

Aside from creating a fun atmosphere, animated sticker packs allow me to better express myself and let my personality shine.

7. Add animated stickers to images or videos

What does this feature do?

Instead of simply sending an animated sticker, why not add it to your images or videos? 

To use this feature, select an image and click on the “Brush” icon. Tap on the “Sticker” icon and select the animated stickers you want to use. You can edit the sticker by making it scaling it. Click save and send.

However, do note that using an animated sticker on a still image will convert it into a GIF. This can lower the quality of the image.

Why I love this feature

Adding animated stickers to images helps bring life to flat and boring pictures! It helps me to express myself better and also makes the whole conversation more fun.

8. Set reminders

What does this feature do?

You’re able to set reminders for things you want to do at a later time within Telegram itself! How convenient is that?

Although you can only set reminders in the ‘Saved Messages’ chat and not in one-on-one conversations, it still comes in handy.

To use this feature, go to your Saved Messages chat and type a message. Tap and hold the “Send” button and select “Set a reminder”. Choose the date and time.

Why I love this feature

As Telegram put it, you can be your own “time-travelling secretary”! Reminders you set will also be marked with a calendar icon so that you won’t be caught off guard by your messages.

9. Find GIFs and Videos

What does this feature do?

Without having to leave Telegram, you can quickly search for GIFs and YouTube videos within the chat. Simply type in “@gif” or “@youtube” and enter what you’re searching for. All the GIFs or videos will appear, pick one and it’ll send immediately!

Why I love this feature

This makes it extremely convenient for sending quirky GIFs or videos without toggling between different apps or pasting links.

10. Create polls

What does this feature do?

Can’t decide on what to have for dinner among your friends? Create polls to help you decide!

Tap on the “Attachment” icon and select the “Polls” menu. You can even configure these polls to allow anonymous voting, multiple answers, and ‘Quiz Mode’.

Why I love this feature

In large chat groups, coming to a consensus is often time-consuming. Instead of spamming the chat with text messages of where to go or what to eat, why not create a poll instead?

It’s also native to Telegram, so you don’t have to install any other app.

11. Edit images and videos (like a pro)

What does this feature do?

Gain full control over your photos and videos with advanced tools to edit them.

Select an image or video that you want to send to your recipient. Tap on the “Adjust” icon at the bottom right to open the image editor. You can adjust the saturation, contrast, grain, and more.

Why I love this feature

You no longer need to edit your images and videos on a separate app, because you can do it all within Telegram!

12. Chat folders to organize your chats

What does this feature do?

Chat folders easily organize chats and ensure that no important messages are missed.

If you have too many chats, you can separate fun from work, or family chats from school groups – then swipe between the tabs to quickly access any of these chats.

To use chat folders, click on the “Settings” icon on the main chat page. Select “Chat folders” and create custom folders. Select the chats you want to include in these folders.

Why I love this feature

This keeps the entire interface much neater and more organized, especially if you use Telegram as your main mode of communication for work, school, friends, and family.

13. Multiple pinned messages (for both parties)

What does this feature do?

Previously, users could only pin messages in group chats. And only one message.

But in recent updates, Telegram allows users to pin multiple messages in individual chats, and for both parties.

Select messages you want to pin, and tap on “Pin”. Select or check the box that says “Pin for me and (recipient’s name)”. To toggle between all these pinned messages, tap on the top bar.

Why I love this feature

Pinned messages help me keep track of lunch dates or important messages with the recipient. Being able to pin the message for both parties means that we’ll both remember it.

14. Change the appearance of message bubbles

What does this feature do?

If you’re the kind of person who gets bored easily, Telegram’s got you covered. Telegram now allows you to change the colours of your chat bubbles and make your chat page vibrant (or monochromatic). 

Why I love this feature

You can customize your Telegram chats to be “you” by choosing your favorite colours and mixing them up together. This is definitely a feature I love!

15. Auto-Night theme

What does this feature do?

If you only like to use dark mode at certain times of the day, you can enable the automatic night-mode feature on Telegram.

To set up auto-night mode go to “Settings”, then “Chat Settings”, “Themes”, and tap on “Auto-Night Mode”. You have the option to choose between Scheduled or Automatic.

Automatic mode means that the auto-night mode will start depending on the ambient light. The Scheduled option allows you to set a time for it to switch to the dark theme.

Why I love this feature

Using my phone at night won’t blind me anymore if I forget to switch it to night mode! 

16. Lock chats

What does this feature do?

As we mentioned previously, Telegram prioritizes its users’ privacy. Other than end-to-end encryption, users can also lock their chats in case their phones fall into the wrong hands. 

To lock a chat, click on “Settings”, then “Privacy and Security”, then “Passcode and Touch ID” and enable it. Create a passcode and you’ll be able to lock and unlock your chats by tapping on the lock icon at the top right corner of the app.

You can also set up the auto-lock function to lock your phone after you’re away from Telegram for a certain period of time. I personally set mine to an hour so that I don’t have to keep unlocking Telegram every time I enter the app.

Why I love this feature

I don’t have to worry about others reading through personal and private text messages, especially if my phone ever gets lost!

17. Secret chats

What does this feature do?

While Telegram chats have end-to-end encryption, you can create secret chats that use client-to-client end encryption for maximum privacy.

These chats aren’t stored on Telegram’s servers, so you can only access them with your phone. If one party deletes the chat, it disappears on both devices.

To use the secret chat, tap on create a chat at the top right corner and select “New secret chat”.

Why I love this feature

Again, if you’re all about the privacy, Telegram’s secret chats ensure just that (on top of locking chats).

18. Share your live location

What does this feature do?

Sharing your location allows others to keep an eye on your progress to a destination or look out for your safety. Because it’s live, every move you make will be updated accordingly on the maps.

To send your location, open a chat, tap the “attachments” button, and choose “Location”.

Why I love this feature

This feature makes it very convenient, especially if you’re driving and can’t text your current location every few minutes.

19. Saved Messages chat

What does this feature do?

The ‘Saved Messages’ chat acts as a personal cloud notebook you can take with you anywhere. You can access this chat on any device when you’re logged into Telegram.

You can send messages from other chats into ‘Saved Messages’ by simply forwarding that message. You can also directly type in the chat, send links, images, and videos.

Why I love this feature

Who wouldn’t like a personal notebook you can access anytime, anywhere? I use it to store important messages and send images from my phone to my laptop.

20. Telegram bots

What does this feature do?

We saved the best for the last – how could we mention a list of Telegram features without mentioning its Bots? Telegram bots are useful and functional bots that help make daily life easier. 

There are thousands of Telegram bots for you to use, but just in case you feel overwhelmed, we’ve created a list of the best Telegram bots just for you!

Why I love this feature

Aside from useful bots that share news and important updates, my personal favorites are Telegram’s game bots, like the Werewolf bot.

Can you choose a favorite?

And there you have it! Our top 20 Telegram features. Out of all these, which is your favorite?

Now that you’re familiar with these Telegram features, you can use Telegram to its full potential.

To find out more about how instant messaging apps like Telegram can be useful to you, check out our blog!

Try NovoChat for free! 🚀

An e-commerce chat marketing platform to grow your sales. 

© Novochat

Are you really leaving all these resources behind? 🤔

100+ copy-and-paste message templates for multiple industries and use cases. All these can be yours in a single click.

Drive more sales with chat marketing.

Market your business on WhatsApp with NovoChat.