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Telegram’s March Update Puts AI Editing, Live Photos and Smarter Polls Inside Chats
Telegram’s March 31 update adds an AI text editor, richer polls, native Live and Motion Photos, managed bots and an iOS document scanner, while warning users about unofficial apps.
Telegram’s March 31, 2026 update expands the messaging app well beyond simple text and media sharing. The release introduces an AI text editor, more configurable polls, native support for iOS Live Photos and Android Motion Photos, managed bots, and a document scanner for iPhone and iPad. Telegram details the changes in its official announcement, which also includes a security warning for users of unofficial third-party clients.
An AI editor built into the message bar
The most visible addition is an AI editor integrated into Telegram’s message composer. After a user types more than three lines, an AI icon appears above the Send button. Telegram says the editor can fix grammar, rewrite a message in a different style or translate it into another language without requiring the text to be copied into a separate tool.
The editor includes predefined styles such as Formal, Short, Corp, Zen, Biblical and Viking. These are presented as quick ways to adjust the tone of a message, rather than as a separate writing application. Telegram also says users can combine a style with translation, allowing one action to change both the language and the character of the text.
Telegram attributes the feature to its Cocoon AI infrastructure and says requests are processed in a confidential environment with zero access to user data. That is the company’s stated privacy model, not an independent security audit, so users should still review a generated message before sending it—particularly when it contains names, addresses, work information or other sensitive details.
Polls become a more flexible group tool
The update adds more than ten poll options aimed at group chats and channels. Poll creators can attach media or a location to a question or answer, add a description, let participants suggest new options and show which users voted for each choice. They can also disable revoting, shuffle options for individual participants, set a time limit and hide results until voting closes.
Telegram also adds more control for quiz-style polls. Creators can view results without voting, allow multiple correct answers or permit revoting where that makes sense. In groups with visible votes, the creator receives a notification when someone responds, including the selected option. Active and completed polls are collected in a dedicated tab on group and channel profiles, making it easier to revisit earlier decisions.
These changes make polls more useful for communities that need to gather structured feedback rather than simply count reactions. They also give administrators more control over how transparent or final a vote should be, although visible voting can expose individual preferences to other members.
Live Photos and Motion Photos work across Telegram apps
Telegram now supports Apple Live Photos and Android Motion Photos natively. The company says users can send these moving images and view them in any Telegram app. The media editor offers three playback choices: Live, which plays the image once; Loop, which repeats it continuously; and Bounce, which plays it forward and backward.
To send one, users select a compatible photo and tap the Live button in the media editor before choosing a playback style. The cross-platform approach is notable because it avoids limiting the animated version to recipients using the same phone brand. The update does not turn every still image into a moving photo; the source file must already contain the relevant motion data.
Bots can create and manage other bots
Telegram is also extending its bot platform. Users can create personalized bots with a few taps, while bots can now create and manage other bots through changes to the Telegram Bot API. Telegram presents this as a way to launch bot-based services without writing the entire setup manually. Developers who want to implement the capability can consult the official Bot API documentation.
This could make automated workflows easier to assemble inside Telegram, but it also increases the importance of checking what a bot is allowed to do. A bot that can create or manage other bots should be treated as an administrative tool: users should understand its permissions, avoid connecting it to private conversations unnecessarily and remove access when the automation is no longer needed.
Document scanning arrives on iOS
Telegram’s iOS app gains a document scanner that uses the phone’s camera to capture multiple pages and combine them into a PDF. Telegram says the scanner can remove the background, crop the page and provide manual controls for borders, filters and rotation. The workflow is available from the attachment menu under File, then Scan Document.
This is a practical addition for users who already send documents through Telegram, although it should not be confused with a dedicated archival or records-management system. Before sharing a scan, check that the correct pages are included and that the destination chat is appropriate.
A reminder to check the client you use
Alongside the new features, Telegram has added a warning about unofficial apps. The company says its official applications are open source and have verifiable builds, while independent third-party clients may provide a different security posture. Telegram now displays an alert on profiles using third-party apps so other users know that messages sent to those accounts may be less secure.
The March update therefore combines convenience features with a useful trust signal. AI editing, richer polls, moving photos, bot automation and scanning all make Telegram more capable on mobile, but each feature also benefits from a quick privacy check. Review generated text, consider who can see visible poll results, limit bot permissions and confirm that sensitive conversations are taking place in an official client before relying on the new tools.