Telegram has been chugging along with the persistence of a freight train for the past 8 years, putting out updates every couple of months. Sometimes it improves the look, sometimes it adds huge new features. Sometimes, like today, it just makes things easier, introducing some convenient tweaks with the release of Telegram 8.2.

Because each user has unlimited cloud storage and each chat has a Shared Media page that shows all its files, it can be a daunting task to find that video of a rat with a slice of pizza you saw in 2015. To help alleviate this issue Telegram has added a date bar to the right side of the Shared Media page which the user can drag up and down to quickly scroll around. In addition, users can pinch to zoom in (two pics per row) and out (up to 12 pics per row) to customize how densely they browse. The Shared Media page also has a new calendar view that shows a preview of the content from each day.

Last year in September Telegram started letting users filter their searches based on general categories (e.g., media, chats, links). In the latest update, users can filter their shared media by either photos or videos. Both the calendar view and the photo/video filter can be accessed via the overflow menu at the top right.

Finally, Telegram is adding new functionality and features to invite links. The last update to the invite links in February 2021 gave us QR codes, and now group admins pick up the option to preview new members before adding them to a group. On the user’s end, they will see a button to send a join request. Admins will be able to view the applicant’s profile pictures and bio before approving or dismissing the request, and also assign unique names to their invite links for better organization.

What’s next for Telegram users on Android? The chat themes that came out in the last update are going to be expanded to the whole app. This feature is already available for iPhone users but Telegram promises it will be available for Android users soon. You can grab Telegram 8.2 from the Play Store or pick it up over at APK Mirror.

Telegram Developer: Telegram FZ-LLC
Price: Free
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