Telegram's Premium subscription is now available worldwide for $4.99/€5.49/INR 469 per month. To upgrade to Premium, users must first update their Telegram app to version 8.8, then go to the app settings and select the new Telegram Premium option. The app now costs $4.99/€5.49/INR 469 per month.
The company claims that its new service will help to support the free version of the app while also paying for all of the new features in the premium version.

Here are some new features launched in Telegram Premium:

  • Telegram displays sponsored messages on large and public channels in some countries. These ads help support Telegram's operating costs, but they will no longer appear for Telegram Premium subscribers.
  • With Telegram Premium, subscribers can send up to 4 gigabytes of files—ample room for four hours of full HD video or 18 days of high-quality audio. Telegram users will also be able to download 4 GB files dispatched by Telegram Premium users.
  • Readers can download media and data at the most effective possible acceleration. As fast as your network can keep up, you can access everything in your infinite cloud storage.
  • Messaging service Telegram has launched a new Premium version that lets you follow up to 1,000 channels and pin 10 chats in the main list. You can also create up to 20 chat folders with up to 200 chats each, and add a fourth account to any Telegram app.
  • For those times when you don't want to listen but want to see what it says, voice messages can be converted to text. You can rate transcriptions to help them improve.
  • Dozens of stickers now have impressive full-screen animations that Premium users can send in any chat to add extra emotion and expressive effects that all users can see. Telegram artists will update this premium sticker collection on a monthly basis.
  • Premium users can also respond to messages in new ways with over ten new emoji options.
  • Telegram Premium includes new tools for  your chat list, such as changing your default chat folder so that the app always opens in a specific folder, such as Unread instead of All Chats. Subscribers can also enable a setting in Privacy and Security to automatically archive and mute new chats, assisting in the organisation of even the busiest chat lists.
  • Premium users' profile videos will animate for everyone throughout the app, including in chats and on the chat list. Premium videos will be available throughout the app, including in chats and on the chat list. Allow everyone to see your new look, or show off your creativity with a one-of-a-kind looping animation.
  • Premium users can now add new icons to their home screens to better match their personality or wallpaper. Choose between a premium star, a night sky, or a turbo-plane. 
Telegram announced that it now has over 700 million users around the world. Telegram Premium is now available for $4.99 per month. Telegram's latest app update also includes over 100 fixes and optimizations to the mobile and desktop apps for all users. The company says it has never paid for advertising and relies solely on word-of-mouth recommendations.