Telegram has launched the Telegram Gateway feature, which will allow businesses to save money spent on identifying customer phone numbers, Telegram founder Pavel Durov announced.
The entrepreneur called it the “most affordable method” of authentication, costing just $0.01 per code anywhere in the world.
“Businesses can now save millions by sending verification codes to their users directly through Telegram. This method is much cheaper, faster and safer than the traditional SMS fine,” said Durov.
According to him, only Telegram spends about 10 million dollars per month for authentication of all users. Messenger has already checked the phone numbers of almost 1 billion people, and companies can save money on it, Durov said. If the number that needs to be verified is not attached to the Telegram user account, the fee will not be charged at all, he clarified.
After his arrest in France, Durov reported several times about innovations in Telegram. So Messenger decided to remove the “People Nearby” feature and replace it with “Nearby Businesses,” which will display “legitimate, verified companies.”
The claims of the French authorities were related to the lack of moderation on the platform and refusal to cooperate with law enforcement agencies. Telegram has also launched a @SearchReport bot for reporting illegal content.
Users also have the ability to send each other “gifts,” animated images that can be accompanied by a message. In addition, Durov announced the function of adding media files to messages after sending the posts and viewing the editing time.