Here’s everything you need to know –

Telegram Premium is finally here. With over 700 million monthly active users, Telegram‘s new subscription service lets users unlock exclusive additional features on the chat app.

Announcing the Telegram Premium launch in a blog post, the company said that the new paid tier “will allow us to offer all the resource-heavy features users have asked for over the years while preserving free access” to the messaging service.

So what’s new in Telegram Premium, and how can you get it? Here’s everything you need to know.

To get the new Telegram Premium subscription, you will need to get the latest version of the app. We managed to find the latest version 8.8 of the app on the iOS App Store. It offers the new Telegram Premium subscription option. However, it seems the update hasn’t rolled out for Android users yet. The Telegram app on the Play Store is still stuck on version 8.7.4, so Android users may have to wait a bit longer for the update to subscribe to Telegram Premium.

Telegram Premium will cost anywhere between $5 – $6. The company didn’t announce these prices in the official blog post, but we checked the app in India, and the subscription costs Rs 469 (~$6) on an iPhone. Meanwhile, TechCrunch reports that a Spain-based Technology commentator reported seeing €5.49 ($5.77) as the monthly cost.

There are a bunch of new features on offer for users. These include double limits, heavier uploads, faster downloads, no ads, and more. Non-premium users will also be able to download extra-large documents, view stickers sent by premium users, and tap to increase counters on premium reactions. Below is a full list of all the additional Telegram Premium features.

4GB Uploads

Paying users can upload and send files up to 4GB. Meanwhile, those who use the regular free version of Telegram will be restricted to 2GB uploads. That said, free tier users can download 4GB files sent by Telegram Premium users.

Faster downloads

Telegram says that premium customers will be able to download media and other files at the fastest possible speed. “You can access everything in your unlimited cloud storage as fast as your network can keep up,” the company noted in its blog post.

Increased limits

Telegram Premium users get higher limits for almost everything in the app. They can follow up to 1,000 channels, create up to 20 chat folders with up to 200 chats each, add a fourth account to any Telegram app, pin 10 chats in the main list, and save up to 10 favorite stickers. That’s double of everything free Telegram users get.

Voice-to-Text

The new paid service will allow users to convert voice messages into text when they are in a situation where they can’t listen to them out loud. Users will also be able to rate transcriptions to improve their quality.

More stickers and reactions

Premium-tier users will get access to extra stickers with full-screen animations as well as 10 new emojis. These will be visible to all users, though. That means a free-tier user will be able to see these exclusive stickers sent by a Telegram Premium user.

Chat management

New chat management tools have also been added for subscribers. Those who subscribe to the service can change their default chat folder so the app always opens on a custom folder. Subscribers can also enable a setting in Privacy and Security to automatically archive and mute new chats.

Animated profile photos and premium badges

Telegram Premium subscribers can put up animated profile photos that will appear as such for all users. They will also get a special blue star premium badge next to their name in the chat list, chat headers, and member lists in groups.

Redesigned app icons

A minor feature, but a new one nonetheless — three new icons. Subscribers can choose from the new premium star, night sky, or turbo-plane icons and add them to their Home Screen to better match their wallpaper.

No ads

In some countries, Telegram shows Sponsored Messages on large, public channels. The platform says these ads help Telegram’s operating costs but will no longer appear for subscribers of Telegram Premium.

So those are all the new benefits and features you get with Telegram Premiums. Do you think the subscription is worth it? Take our poll below and tell us what you think.