Apple delayed Telegram’s most recent release because of emoji
 |
| Apple delayed Telegram’s most recent release because of emoji |
One day after Telegram CEO and creator Pavel Durov claimed the upgrade had been in Apple’s app review for two weeks without an explanation, Telegram launched a new update on Friday. Durov claims that although the update is jam-packed with emoji-related features, one is absent because Apple directly ordered its removal.
“Apple got back to us with a demand to water down our pending Telegram update by removing Telemoji—higher quality vector-animated versions of the standard emoji,” Durov wrote on his Telegram channel on Friday. “This was in response to extensive media coverage of my previous post.”
This is a perplexing move on the part of Apple, as Telemoji would have greatly improved their environment and added a whole new dimension to their static, low-resolution emoji.
In a little video that Durov released along with his post, the Telemoji can be seen (and I’ve created a GIF of the video he shared). Personally, I think the Telemoji are a lot of fun. I especially like how they breathe new life into the static emoji faces I’ve grown accustomed to. However, I assume Apple objected to a different firm changing its designs in this way, which may be the reason it ordered Telegram to take Telemoji out of the update. A request for comment was not immediately answered by Apple or Telegram.
There are more improvements on the way. In “a few weeks,” Telegram will let users add any custom emoji as a message reaction, Durov says, though this will be a premium-only feature to start. I’m of the opinion that emoji reactions are actually good — the more ways to use emoji, the better. Other new emoji enhancements are included in the update, though. Users can upload and use custom emoji in chats with friends if they subscribe to Telegram’s recently released $4.99 premium service. Telegram is starting out by providing 10 custom packs with more than 500 emoji. Free users will be able to see any animated emoji and use it in their saved messages.
In addition, Telegram has upgraded the iOS sticker panel to include distinct tabs for stickers, GIFs, and emoji, similar to Telegram on Android, desktop, or the web. The whole list of modifications is available in Telegram’s blog article.