📰 Pavel Durov gave an interview to the french newspaper LePoint

You can read the full interview for free in English bellow:
https://telegra.ph/FBI-Russia-DGSE-Macron-The-Confessions-of-Pavel-Durov-06-18

(Source) #lepoint

📢 Telegram will display Ads on videos

Nekogram noticed the new Android Beta code has an implementation of Ads on videos. You can check the code in the link bellow:
https://github.com/TGAndroid-Decompiled/TGAndroid-Beta/blob/fbf111b1bda7b08d4c1974dba340f76e2cfa13a7/sources/org/telegram/messenger/video/VideoAds.java

➡️Where the Ads will appear?
- In the bottom of a running video.
- Currently they can be displayed in any dialog (group/channel/private) but Telegram servers can set it so they only appear in certain channels.
- The video will not stop, the ad will appear in the bottom of the screen of a running video (just like YouTube overlay Ads)

➡️How will they look like?
- Ads will use Telegram Bulletin system (like "Message deleted", etc.)
- The ads appear as banner-style notifications at the bottom of the screen, similar to how other Telegram notifications are displayed.
- Ads slide up from the bottom and remain visible for the specified duration.
- Ads will not interrupt the video, the video will keep playing when the Ad appear at the bottom of the screen just like YouTube overlay Ads
- User can dismiss an Ad that that was already half displayed

➡️How will Telegram control when Ads appear?
- Ads will show up at the middle of the video. Telegram server can choose how long after the video starts the Ad will appear.
- After seeing an Ad, the user will remain some minutes without seeing another Ad. Telegram server can choose how long.

➡️Example: Telegram send an Ad that must be displayed for 60 seconds:
- User will see the Ad bellow the video and a 30 seconds circular countdown.
- If the user try to dismiss the Ad before 30 seconds, a premium upgrade prompt will appear.
- After 30 seconds the user can dismiss the Ad.
- If the user do not dismiss the Ad, it will automatically dismiss itself after 60 seconds.
- The exact minimum display time is controlled by Telegram's servers and may vary per Ad.

⚠️ This feature was not implemented yet. Everything in this message is a speculation based on Telegram for Android Beta code and may change before the release! #tgvidads

❓ What is Durov doing with Telegram?

He lost thousands of dollars and the developers lost time to release checklists that will not be used by anyone, for the simple reason that they are only available to premium users. Trannoscriptions, translations, higher limits, downloads and cosmetic features, are the kind of features that will increase premium numbers. Checklists (just like tags in saved messages) are not the kind of features that will increase the number of premium users.

Worse, in addition to not being able to create checklists, non-premium users cannot even mark a task as done... Which would be the minimum requirement for this feature to be used inside a messenger.

I know that Telegram needs to make money and charging Premium for cosmetic features (like custom emojis and animated photos), server-side features (like higher limits) or features that are not available in other apps (like translations) seems fine to me. Charging for NFT gifts is excellent, it increases the app's profit, creates a resales ecosystem and does not reduce the number of useful functions for the average non-paying user. I have premium myself and I do not intend to stop having it.

But Telegram as a whole would improve if the following functions were made available to non-premium users:
▶️1) Business features such as address, opening hours and quick replies (Whatsapp has them for free and it would bring small businesses to Telegram)
▶️2) Local audio trannoscriptions (it is an accessibility feature for deaf people that Whatsapp has for free and does not consume server resources)
▶️3) Checklists (at least the option to mark them as done so they don't become useless)
▶️4) Tags in saved messages (just like checklists, it is not the feature that will raise Premium numbers)

I hope Durov has not surrounded himself with people who treat all his decisions as brilliant and do not suggest obvious improvements. Unfortunately users no longer see Telegram as a privacy-focused messenger but they continue to use it for its user-friendly interface and high number of features. Telegram cannot afford to lose basic features by making them premium-only.

#shame