Last updated: 12 October 2026.
Welcome to the first edition of our weekly Telegram roundup for channel and group owners. It was a quieter fortnight for headline features, with the main changes affecting Telegram’s built-in crypto wallet and a round of app updates on mobile and desktop. Here is what changed and what is worth doing about it.
Wallet becomes Walt as the Gram wallet takes its place
On 28 September, the crypto service previously called Wallet in Telegram was renamed Walt, CCN reports, and Crypto Briefing covers the same details. Walt, which is run by The Open Platform, is now positioned as a separate service for trading and other advanced features, reached through @walt, and existing users keep their accounts and funds without having to migrate anything.
The simpler, everyday role passes to Telegram’s own Gram wallet, a self-custodial wallet that Telegram began rolling out to a limited group of users at the end of August, crypto.news reported at the time. It is designed for transfers and in-app purchases such as gifts, usernames and Stars, and it takes the place in Settings that Wallet used to occupy.
What it means for creators: this is not financial advice, and you do not need to use crypto to run a successful channel. The practical point is that the screens your audience sees when buying Stars or gifts may now look different. If you accept Star reactions or paid posts, update any pinned support message so it does not point to menus that have moved, and keep your instructions to Telegram’s own in-app options rather than third-party links.
Telegram 13.0 arrives on mobile
Telegram version 13.0 appeared on the App Store this week, with the official release notes mentioning only bug fixes and minor improvements. According to Phemex News, the update moves Walt out of Settings into its own mini app, adds built-in web proxy support, lets users pause an AI bot while it is generating a reply, and adds a way to report mini apps that break the rules. The same report says the minimum iOS version is now iOS 15 and that round video messages on Android now support higher quality.
What it means for creators: if you run a bot or mini app for your channel, test it on the new version and check that it follows Telegram’s rules, as reporting problem mini apps is now easier for users. If some of your audience use older iPhones that cannot run iOS 15, they will no longer receive app updates, so avoid relying on brand-new features for anything essential such as giveaways or paid access.
Desktop update fixes a content protection gap
Telegram Desktop 7.3.1, released on 9 October, fixes an issue where copy-restricted media could end up in the Downloads folder, alongside fixes for wallet encryption and theme colours, according to the release notes collected by Releasebot. A late-September beta, version 7.2.10, added Unicode 17 emoji, a keyboard shortcut to submit posts from the rich message editor and playlist playback for audio in rich messages.
What it means for creators: if you protect your channel’s content by restricting saving and forwarding, this fix closes a gap for desktop users. Content protection discourages casual copying, but it cannot stop someone photographing a screen, so add a subtle watermark or your channel name to anything you would not want shared without credit.
What to do this week
- Update your pinned support or donation message so it reflects the current in-app menus.
- Update Telegram on every device you use to post, and test your bots and mini apps on version 13.0.
- Decide whether to restrict saving content on your channel, and watermark premium posts either way.
- If you have not yet set one up, try the welcome message feature from Telegram’s August update so each new member gets a short introduction.
- Plan a regular posting rhythm for the rest of October so new subscribers see activity straight away.
Telegram channels grow best through useful, regular posts and word of mouth, but a stronger starting number can make a new channel look established to first-time visitors. If that would help, our Telegram services offer gradual delivery and no password needed.