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I hope telegram knows the main reason that I and many other people use Telegram is because it doesn't have social media features like a feed. Now that they've f

by brink 3y ago

I hope telegram knows the main reason that I and many other people use Telegram is because it doesn't have social media features like a feed. Now that they've finished creating the "perfect" messenger, every update looks more and more concerning as my favorite messaging app begins to look more and more like facebook.

itake 3y ago
+1. I like the anti-discoverability in Telegram, but I can see why they would need such a feature to grow their business.
jwells89 3y ago
In general, app feature creep is becoming increasingly tiresome. It’s sometimes ok for software to be “done”, with any further engineering instead going towards making the product ever-more rock solid. Nobody seems to realize this though.
- wayfinder 3y ago
  It's because these smaller products don't make money and will eventually die unless they figure something out. I don't buy anything from Telegram. I don't see any ads. Yet I use its API and chat for a price of $0. Something has to give.
- ratg13 3y ago
  WinZip is always the first thing I think of in this context.
hombre_fatal 3y ago
Meh, like it or not (I can guess which), Telegram has the best API in the game and it's amazing for businesses and all sorts of use-cases beyond chatting 1:1 with your friends. For example, its API lets you create buttons and nested applications within the app which certainly aren't there for you to talk with Billy from work. So it makes sense that they build out more features for those use-cases like those using it as a media platform. I really like what they're doing. This is how you build a platform. I'd be surprised if HNers are even aware of how other people use Telegram beyond basic chat. We tend to dismiss and hold disdain for use-cases we don't care about rather than learn about them earnestly.
- tortoise_in 3y ago
  You haven't heard of xmpp
  - sam_lowry_ 3y ago
    I certainly heard of death by extension, one XEP at a time.
afavour 3y ago
I think Telegram has realised they've lost the 1 on 1 personal chat fight to Signal and they're pivoting to their emergent user base. Every time I hear about Telegram these days it's in a discussion about thousand-person broadcast chats and the like. If that is truly their main area of growth a feed to aggregate that kind of stuff does make sense.
- subtra3t 3y ago
  Maybe in some countries they have lost the fight. But in many other countries, including India, Signal isn't even a part of the fight. I know fewer than 5 people who have heard of Signal but almost all of my acquaintances have at least heard of Telegram. But nobody uses anything except WhatsApp.
- blehn 3y ago
  Doesn't Telegram have like 10x the number of users that Signal has? Even if channels are popular I would imagine there's plenty of 1-1 and personal usage on Telegram. Data point of one: I use Telegram with about 20 contacts for personal messaging; I don't use Signal with anyone.
  - hadlock 3y ago
    Signal had a ton of users but then they disabled the ability to use it as your primary SMS app citing user confusion about which chats were encrypted vs which were not, SMS support was the killer feature for a lot of people. Since they dropped true SMS support I don't know anyone who still uses it.
- sertbdfgbnfgsd 3y ago
  > I think Telegram has realised they've lost the 1 on 1 personal chat fight to Signal LOL what?
  - konart 3y ago
    This. Signal has its userbase, sure, on Firefox level. It _is_ there but barely noticeable.
phatfish 3y ago
They probably don't make enough money from being a reasonable platform. It will just end up a Twitter hell-scape if trolls can find a community to torment/destroy more easily.
golergka 3y ago
FYI, Telegram is currently one of the main social media platforms in Russia, which is their "domestic" market (the company is not legally in Russia, as well as it's developers and founder, but all of them are originally from the country).
csydas 3y ago
I completely get your fear as I also don't really want non-chat features from Telegram, but I can pretty confidently say I don't think any of the new features have at all changed how I use the app. my chats work exactly like I expect them to with my friends and that's perfect. I don't see any of the more social media stuff unless I want to. I think it's a pretty good sign that all these social media features continue to be added and I still don't see any impact on how I use Telegram.
tamimio 3y ago
Spot on, recent updates are mostly about useless stories and other BS, instead of that, how about making an E2EE by default?!
kornhole 3y ago
It is the opposite for me. I use many decentralized E2EE messengers. Telegram is good for broadcasting certain topics such as war coverage, because it is not domiciled in a NATO country.

by brink 3y ago

itake 3y ago

+1. I like the anti-discoverability in Telegram, but I can see why they would need such a feature to grow their business.

jwells89 3y ago

In general, app feature creep is becoming increasingly tiresome. It’s sometimes ok for software to be “done”, with any further engineering instead going towards making the product ever-more rock solid. Nobody seems to realize this though.

wayfinder 3y ago
It's because these smaller products don't make money and will eventually die unless they figure something out. I don't buy anything from Telegram. I don't see any ads. Yet I use its API and chat for a price of $0. Something has to give.
ratg13 3y ago
WinZip is always the first thing I think of in this context.

hombre_fatal 3y ago

Meh, like it or not (I can guess which), Telegram has the best API in the game and it's amazing for businesses and all sorts of use-cases beyond chatting 1:1 with your friends. For example, its API lets you create buttons and nested applications within the app which certainly aren't there for you to talk with Billy from work. So it makes sense that they build out more features for those use-cases like those using it as a media platform. I really like what they're doing. This is how you build a platform. I'd be surprised if HNers are even aware of how other people use Telegram beyond basic chat. We tend to dismiss and hold disdain for use-cases we don't care about rather than learn about them earnestly.

tortoise_in 3y ago
You haven't heard of xmpp
- sam_lowry_ 3y ago
  I certainly heard of death by extension, one XEP at a time.

afavour 3y ago

I think Telegram has realised they've lost the 1 on 1 personal chat fight to Signal and they're pivoting to their emergent user base. Every time I hear about Telegram these days it's in a discussion about thousand-person broadcast chats and the like. If that is truly their main area of growth a feed to aggregate that kind of stuff does make sense.

subtra3t 3y ago
Maybe in some countries they have lost the fight. But in many other countries, including India, Signal isn't even a part of the fight. I know fewer than 5 people who have heard of Signal but almost all of my acquaintances have at least heard of Telegram. But nobody uses anything except WhatsApp.
blehn 3y ago
Doesn't Telegram have like 10x the number of users that Signal has? Even if channels are popular I would imagine there's plenty of 1-1 and personal usage on Telegram. Data point of one: I use Telegram with about 20 contacts for personal messaging; I don't use Signal with anyone.
- hadlock 3y ago
  Signal had a ton of users but then they disabled the ability to use it as your primary SMS app citing user confusion about which chats were encrypted vs which were not, SMS support was the killer feature for a lot of people. Since they dropped true SMS support I don't know anyone who still uses it.
sertbdfgbnfgsd 3y ago
> I think Telegram has realised they've lost the 1 on 1 personal chat fight to Signal LOL what?
- konart 3y ago
  This. Signal has its userbase, sure, on Firefox level. It _is_ there but barely noticeable.

phatfish 3y ago

They probably don't make enough money from being a reasonable platform. It will just end up a Twitter hell-scape if trolls can find a community to torment/destroy more easily.

golergka 3y ago

FYI, Telegram is currently one of the main social media platforms in Russia, which is their "domestic" market (the company is not legally in Russia, as well as it's developers and founder, but all of them are originally from the country).

csydas 3y ago

I completely get your fear as I also don't really want non-chat features from Telegram, but I can pretty confidently say I don't think any of the new features have at all changed how I use the app. my chats work exactly like I expect them to with my friends and that's perfect. I don't see any of the more social media stuff unless I want to. I think it's a pretty good sign that all these social media features continue to be added and I still don't see any impact on how I use Telegram.

tamimio 3y ago

Spot on, recent updates are mostly about useless stories and other BS, instead of that, how about making an E2EE by default?!

kornhole 3y ago

It is the opposite for me. I use many decentralized E2EE messengers. Telegram is good for broadcasting certain topics such as war coverage, because it is not domiciled in a NATO country.