Telegram Premium is coming later this month

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Telegram will soon put features behind a paywall. The founder of Telegram announced in a post on the platform that the messaging service is launching a paid Telegram Premium subscription later this month.

Some of the features coming with the subscription include early access to new features, the ability to upload larger files, and Premium-only stickers and reactions, which were recently previewed in the app.

Durov made it clear that the paid features won't affect the experience for free users on the app. Non-subscribers will still be able to see larger files uploaded by Premium users and interact with them.

Durov says a Premium subscription will help the service mitigate some of the costs associated with bumping up what he calls the "already crazy" limits on file sizes, chats, and media. Durov mentioned the idea of a paid subscription in 2020.

Although the full range of Premium features is still unclear, it looks like the subscription will cater to Telegram's power users, sort of like the wayTwitter Blue brings additional features to the people who use the app most. The app will cost $4.99 per month and come with a number of features, including voice-to-text messages, tools to personalize chats, and more.

Durov introduced the idea of Premium users not having ads in one-to-many channels. Durov promised to give users a way to turn off ads, but it looks like you will have to pay to get access.

Durov doesn't seem to have plans to expand ads beyond public channels. Durov believes that Telegram should be funded by its users. Users will always be our main priority. It's possible that this outlook depends on whether Telegram can get enough users to purchase Premium.