Working with Messages

Restrictions for Messages

Is There a Character Limit for Messages?

The maximum number of characters in a single message is 4096. If the text exceeds this limit, the message will automatically be split into multiple parts while preserving formatting.

Can I Broadcast My Location in Real Time?

No. Only sending a static location pin is supported: the recipient gets a fixed point on the map. Broadcasting movement is not supported and is not planned for now.

Formatting for Messages, Replying & Quotation

How to Reply to a Message or Quote Part of It?

You can reply to messages in full or quote them in the original chat or privately to the sender. To do this, use the message context menu: long press or right-click.

Message quoting is available in the web/desktop app and on Android starting from version 3.68, and on iOS from version 3.69.

How to Format Message Text?

You can format message text in the app in several ways:

• through the context menu of the selected text
• using regular keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Ctrl+B, Ctrl+U on Windows)
• using special markup symbols — partial support for the Markdown language is available

What Markdown Formatting Is Supported?

Style	Notation
Bold text	**bold text**
Italic text	*italic text*
Bold italic	***bold italic***
Bulleted list	* 1st item * 2nd item * 3rd item
Strike-through text	~~strikethrough~~
Code block without language specification	``` code ```
Inline code	`inline code`
Links	[link text](www.example.com)

How to Set a Tag, Reference a Chat, or Mention a User or a Bot?

Element	Notation
Tags	#tag
Chat/channel reference	##chat/channel name
Mentions	@chat member @All (notify all members) @@non-chat member

Why Doesn’t a Link to a Local File or Network Folder Become Clickable?

This is a security restriction, and there are no plans to remove it. A link from a message must not launch programs on the recipient’s computer or open their files — otherwise a malicious message would gain access to the local file system. Such addresses (for example, those starting with file:///) remain plain text: the path can be copied from the message and pasted into the file manager manually.

How Do Mentions of Users and Bots Work?

• A mention with a single @ symbol will notify the user, even if they have disabled notifications in the chat or discussion. Only chat members can be mentioned. This works as a direct reference to a bot or user.
• A mention with two @@ symbols is used to send a contact or mention a user in the context of a conversation. The mentioned user will not receive a notification, but the recipient will be able to open the contact card and message them. Using @@, you can mention even those who are not in the chat. The contact search is similar to the search in the Contacts section, allowing you to mention a user from a trusted server or a shared chat. The chat or channel administrator can add the mentioned user to the member list via the context menu.
• You can't mention yourself with a single @ character: your own name isn't in the suggestion list. You can mention yourself only with two characters @@ — your contact card will be inserted into the message.
• In channels, single mentions are disabled by default (in channel settings, they can be enabled only for admins or for everyone). @All mentions and double mentions in channels are not supported.
• The @All mention does not work in chats and discussions with more than 256 members. If there are fewer members, the mention will work.

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❓Related Topics:
• Some characters disappear in messages after sending

Why Doesn’t the @ Mention Icon Go Away Even Though I Opened the Original Chat?

If you were mentioned inside a thread, the icon will not disappear until you open the thread itself: go to the chat, find the message that started the thread, and open it. For mentions in the chat itself, it is enough to tap Mark as read in the chat context menu.

An Extra Blank Line Is Added When Copying Message Text

This is by design: a blank line is added at the bottom so that you can continue typing right away after pasting.

Editing, Deleting, and Forwarding Messages

To edit, delete (for yourself or for all members), or forward a message:

• in the web or desktop version of the app, right-click on the message to open the context menu with the relevant commands;
• in the mobile versions of the app, press and hold your finger on the message to open the context menu.

How to Delete or Forward Multiple Messages?

Select the corresponding command in the context menu for one of them, and then click or tap on other messages to select them — a frame will appear around them.

In the desktop or web app, you can optionally collapse the chat list by clicking the arrow in the lower left corner (above the version number) or expand the app window to full screen or just slightly wider — message selection checkboxes will become visible in the chat window. Use them to mark the messages you want to forward.

How to Forward a Message to a Thread?

To forward a message to a discussion, enter the name or part of the name of the parent chat or channel where the discussion was created in the chat search field for forwarding. To make it even easier to find the desired discussion, click the button next to the search field and select the "Discussions" tag. If the discussion is in a channel, first subscribe to the comments, otherwise it will be impossible to forward the message there.

Who Can Delete and Edit Messages?

In group chats and their discussions, an administrator (user or bot) can delete any messages for all members without time restrictions and can only edit their own messages within 48 hours. In channels and their discussions, an administrator can delete and edit their own messages and the messages of other channel administrators (if end-to-end encryption is disabled in the channel) without time restrictions, except for messages forwarded to the channel from other users — these cannot be edited either during forwarding or after sending.

Are Editing and Deleting Time-Restricted?

A regular chat member and participants in its discussions can edit and delete their own messages for everyone within 48 hours of sending. In channels and their discussions, regular members (subscribers) cannot write messages.

Can't Forward a Message. Why?

Forwarding may be restricted by the settings of the role model or CDTN.

I'm a Channel Administrator. Why Can't I Edit a Message From a Bot?

This is a technical limitation — a message from a bot differs in type from regular user messages (it may contain buttons, a keyboard, etc.).

Can Someone See the Content of a Message Deleted for Everyone or in Confidential Mode?

No. The content of such messages is irreversibly destroyed on the server and is not available for viewing.

Message Drafts

The app synchronizes drafts of unsent messages across devices (they are stored on your server). ⚠️ Note that attached files are not saved in message drafts.

Pinning a Message

Any chat member or channel administrator can pin one message to the top.

Is It Possible to Pin Multiple Messages?

Not yet.

Who Can Unpin a Message?

A message can be unpinned or replaced by another pinned message by an administrator participant or the participant who originally pinned the message.

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❓Related Topics:
• In a bot-created chat, sent messages hang with an error
• Messages appear as undelivered, although they are received by the recipient on iOS
• Messages show incorrect time, the "online" status is displayed incorrectly

Message Delivery and Read Statuses

To see who the message was delivered to or who has read it:

1. Open the message context menu on PC, or long-press the message on mobile > tap the three-dot button or More.
2. Select Message Info (Information).

Why Don’t I See the Message Info Option?

This feature is not available in channels or in group chats with more than 256 participants.

The “Received” Mark Has Disappeared From the Message Status. Why?

The Received mark refers to those who received the message but have not read it yet. Once all participants have read it, the mark is removed and Read remains.

Reactions to Messages

You can add multiple reactions to messages in chats and channels using the emoji palette. The ability to add reactions and the set of available reactions in a group chat or channel can be configured by the administrator.

Can I Add My Own Emojis or Images to the Reaction Palette?

This feature isn't available. Plans include expanding the set of built-in emojis for reactions.

Why Can’t I See Who Added a Reaction in a Channel?

Reactions cannot be viewed in channels.

Can I Set a Default Reaction?

In version 3.69 of the iOS and Android apps (and v3.68 of the server software), you can now set a default reaction that is applied by double-tapping a message — see Settings > Chat and Channel Settings in the app.

Stickers

The app includes built-in sticker packs. Additionally, sticker packs can be created by the corporate server administrator.

How to Add More Stickers?

You can add stickers in the following ways:

1. Through a sticker sent by someone in the chat: click on the sticker to add the pack to your collection. This method is available to all users.
2. Lite

   CTS

   eCTS
   Through a special “Sticker Bot” that also allows transferring stickers from Telegram (animated stickers are not supported). If the bot is not available in the corporate chat catalog, contact the server administrator through your organization's support to install it.
3. CTS

   eCTS
   Create your own sticker pack via the server admin panel in the Stickers section. To do this, contact your corporate server administrator.

Who Can See the Sticker Pack I Published

A published pack is available to users of your corporate server. It will not appear on other corporate servers, even if you send a sticker in a shared chat with their employees — they will only have access to the sticker itself in the message.

Packs that should be available to all employees of the organization are created by the corporate server administrator.

Voice Messages

In the app, you can send voice messages, control the playback speed while listening, and fast-forward through a recording.

When you start a voice message, a player appears. In it, you can pause and resume playback, jump to the message itself in the chat, select the speed — 1x, 1.5x, 2x, or 3x — and close the player.

How Do I Listen to Several Voice Messages in a Row?

Voice messages in the same chat play one after another. The player is visible both in the chat list and in the open chat. If you close the player, playback stops, but the position where you stopped is saved while you remain in that chat. The selected speed is remembered even after the app is restarted.

Can I Get the Text of a Voice Message or Download It as a File?

No, these features are not available yet.

Video Notes

A video note is a short video message that is displayed in the chat as a round element. It works like a voice message: it is recorded with the same button, played with the same player, and stored in the same shared files section of the chat.

How Do I Record and Send a Video Note?

1. Tap the icon to the right of the input field to switch it from microphone to camera. The selected mode is remembered and then used in all chats.
2. Hold the icon while recording, or swipe up — then recording continues without holding.
3. Release the icon to send the note; in the no-hold mode, tap the send button. Swipe left to cancel the recording.

The front camera records by default; you can switch to the rear camera. Flash and pinch-to-zoom are available. Recording stops and sends automatically at the 60th second, and also if you minimize the app or rotate the screen — voice messages behave the same way.

How Do I Watch Video Notes?

In an open chat, notes play automatically and without sound as you scroll through them. When you tap a note, it expands and plays with sound, and the next note or voice message in that chat starts automatically: they play in the same queue in the shared player, and the selected speed from 1x to 3x also applies to notes.

If you leave the chat or scroll through the conversation while watching, the note stays on the screen in a minimized form: you can drag it anywhere, pause it by tapping, and dismiss it by swiping away. When paused, you can seek using the circular bar around the note.

What Else Should I Know About Video Notes?

• You can forward, delete, save, reply to, react to, and create discussions from video notes — just like with regular messages.
• You cannot add a caption to a video note: a video message has no text part.
• During a call, you can neither record nor play a video note — the app will prompt you to leave the call first.
• In the chat's shared files, video notes are stored together with voice messages on the Voice tab.
• If the administrator has prohibited you from sending videos, you cannot record a video note — the restriction also applies to them.

What Are the Specifications of a Video Note?

MP4 format (H.264/AAC), 384×384 pixels, 30 frames per second, duration up to 60 seconds. On the server, a video note is stored as a media file — with the same retention period as other media files.

You can record video notes on mobile devices starting from version 3.73. In the web/desktop app, you can currently only watch them.

Message Search in Chats, Channels, Threads

The app features local message search within a single chat, channel, or thread, and global message search with filtering by chats, channels, and threads, by sender, and by send date.

Search Type	How to Open
In a single chat	Open the chat info card > Search (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+F on PC)
Global	Open Settings (avatar button) > Search messages (currently not available in web/desktop apps)

Message Links

You can create direct links to specific messages:

• Mobile (since version 3.56): long-press the message > (three-dot menu) > Message link.
• Web/Desktop (since version 3.67): open message context menu > Message link.

Why Doesn’t the Message Open From the Link?

The message link only works for those who have access to the source chat — otherwise, the recipient will see “Message is unavailable”.

Can Links Be Opened Outside the App?

Yes. When you receive a link outside the app, you will be prompted to open the installed app or continue in the browser via the web app.

Why Don’t I See the “Message link” Option?

It is possible that your branded app has a restriction on copying messages, which also makes this feature unavailable.

Scheduled Message Sending

Scheduled messages are supported (currently only in the iOS and Android mobile apps): type your message, long-press the send button, and select Send later. To view scheduled messages, open the chat info card and select Scheduled messages.

Message Reminders

Web and desktop apps only: In the message context menu, you can create reminders for a specific time. There's also a general setting for reminders about unread messages in conversations. You can view reminders via the dedicated bell icon button and in in-app pop-up notifications.

Tagging Messages

Your messages can be personally tagged. See “Tags and Tabs”.

PC Keyboard Shortcuts for Working With Messages

A list of keyboard shortcuts for the web/desktop app is available in the knowledge base (in Russian only).