Telegram Stars: Pay for Digital Goods and More

Over 400 million users interact with bots and mini apps on Telegram every month – to buy products, access services, play games, and much more. With today's update, bots and mini apps can sell digital goods and services.

Digital Goods and Services

For years, businesses have been able to sell physical products on Telegram via bots and mini apps and accept payments from around the world. This month, we updated the Bot Platform to seamlessly support payments for digital products as well.

Telegram Stars

To enable payments for digital goods and services across the Telegram ecosystem, we're launching Telegram Stars. Stars can be acquired through in-app purchases via Apple and Google or PremiumBot, then spent on digital products offered by bots – from e-books and online courses to items in Telegram games.

You can try out payments with Stars in @DurgerKingBot which offers a special cake for the occasion (and even if the cake is a lie, it will refund your stars).

Ready for App Stores

Telegram Stars are compliant with Apple and Google's latest policies on sales of digital products – and gives developers in the Telegram ecosystem and their users unprecedented access to in-app purchases on mobile app stores.

Soon, developers will be able to withdraw the stars earned by their bots in Toncoins via Fragment.

Purchases of physical products stay exactly the same – using any of Telegram's supported payment providers. Developers can read more about the changes for digital products on this page.

With fast, user-friendly payments for digital goods and services, the bot and mini app platform will allow new types of businesses to reach over 900 million potential customers inside Telegram.

More than Bots

This is just the beginning for Telegram Stars. Future updates will bring extra features and functionality to Stars – like gifts for content creators and more.

For more details about Stars, please check our CEO's post on his channel, updated Terms of Services for Developers and the Detailed Guide for Payments in Stars.

June 6, 2024,
The Telegram Team