Telegram, in its on-going quest to be one of the top messaging platforms, has pushed out another update to its Android app, v4.8. With this new version, users can stream received videos, set up an automatic night mode, and use their Telegram accounts to sign into other apps.
Here's the changelog:
- Streaming for videos: Start watching any newly uploaded video instantly without having to fully download it first.
- Auto-Night Mode: Automatically switch to the dark version of the interface after nightfall or in low-light conditions.
- Telegram Login widget: Log in to other websites and services using your Telegram account.
It's a pretty simple, self-explanatory update. If you do not have the dark theme on already (what's wrong with you?), you can tell the app to turn on the night mode automatically. With the slew of additional themes, you can also set which one you want via the "Preferred Night Mode" settings. Streaming videos without the need to download them first is a neat feature — all videos uploaded in v4.8 and on can be streamed, with the cache progress visible as the grey line in the video player.
I know y'all love the Telegram illustrations
Finally, Telegram announced a new login widget today, too. This allows a user to login to external websites with his or her Telegram account. On the first time through, the login widget will ask for the account phone number and will submit a confirmation code in order to authorize the browser. From then on, each site that you try to login to will prompt a two-click process, where you agree to send your information (minus your phone number) to the site owner, i.e. like Google, Facebook, etc.
All of this login information, including what sites you have sent your info to, are available to see in v4.8's Privacy & Security settings. Oh, and bots can now initiate conversations with you should they have your permission to do so (whereas the previous system requires the user to start things off). As always, we have the apk right here for you, or you can grab the app from the Play Store.