Telegram Launches Interactive Widgets in Chats
Developers can now embed small apps and payment options directly inside Telegram conversations.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Software
Live Poll
Do you think messaging apps adding payments and services is making daily life better?
Telegram has launched interactive widgets that run within chat messages, letting developers embed small applications, services and payment options without a separate webpage or Mini App. The widgets were added in Telegram Bot API 10.4, released on November 9.
Why it matters
The feature lets bots offer richer functionality inside the conversation itself, reducing the need for users to leave the chat. Its wider rollout will shape how quickly developers build on the format.
Widgets are built in HTML, CSS and JavaScript and run in a QuickJS sandbox, with compressed code capped at 4KB and uncompressed code at 32KB. Telegram has not said when group and forwarding support will reach production.
The players
Telegram
A cloud-based messaging platform known for its bots, channels and large group chats, operated by a company founded by Pavel Durov.
The details
Developers create widgets in HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and they render natively rather than in a browser-like interface. Widgets cannot connect to the internet directly; instead, requests go through the bot via Telegram, which can update the widget's data. For payments, a widget asks the bot to prepare a transaction, and Telegram opens a wallet confirmation screen showing the bot, payment sum and destination.
Timeline
November 9: Telegram Bot API 10.4 released, adding the interactive widgets.
Roadmap
Telegram's widgets build on its earlier Mini Apps, which required opening a separate web-based interface. By embedding lightweight functions directly in message bubbles, Telegram is pushing bots toward a more native, in-conversation experience.
Users chatting with bots may soon be able to book, pay or interact with small services without leaving the conversation. Group and forwarding widgets remain limited to Telegram's test server for now, so most users will not see them yet.
The takeaway
Developers building for Telegram now have a lightweight, in-chat format to test, though production access is still narrow. Watching the rollout to groups will show how far the format can reach.
Further reading
For related developer tools and platform updates, see the Software section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Digital Trends.
Live Poll
Do you think messaging apps adding payments and services is making daily life better?
