Messaging app Telegram will launch a paid subscription plan for its users this month, founder Pavel Durov said on Friday.
Durov said in a blog post that users who opt for Telegram Premium will get higher limits for chat, media and file uploads.
“The only way to let our most demanding fans get more while keeping our existing features free is to make those raised limits a paid option,” he said.
The app, along with messaging tool Signal, has seen a surge in users following privacy concerns with larger rival WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platform Inc. Telegram currently has 500 million monthly active users and is one of the 10 most downloaded apps in the world. According to its website.
Durov said the move to offer paid subscriptions was to ensure that Telegram remained primarily funded by its users, not advertisers.
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