The Telegram team never ceases to amaze: we barely got used to the spring update 12.5 with tags in groups and personal chat protection, when the Android 12.6 beta revealed a whole set of new features. And these aren’t just minor tweaks — there’s a built-in AI assistant, revamped polls, support for “live” photos, and even music in your profile. Let’s break down what’s new in Telegram in the near future and why you need it.
A major Telegram update is coming!
AI Text Editor in Telegram — What It Can Do
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the beta is the built-in AI text editor in Telegram. Right in the message input field, an “AI” button appears, and tapping it opens a whole set of tools. You get text translation into other languages, grammar correction, and writing style changes — you can make text more formal or, conversely, more conversational. But keep in mind that you need to type a lot of text before the button appears.
The AI editor helps rework message text
A separate “emojify” button adds emoji to your message using a neural network — handy when you want to liven up your text but are too lazy to pick emojis manually. After processing, the result can be instantly inserted into the chat.
As for limits: several generations are available for free for all users, while Telegram Premium subscribers get 50 times more requests. Given that Telegram has been actively implementing AI before (remember the summaries of long posts), the direction is clear — the messenger wants to become not just a chat app, but a full-fledged work tool.
New Poll Features in Telegram: Timers, Media Files, and Custom Answer Options
The update will add new features for polls
Polls in Telegram have existed for a long time but were fairly basic. In the 12.6 beta, they’ve been fully upgraded. Here’s what’s new:
- First, poll completion timers — you can now set a time after which the poll automatically closes. No more manually monitoring deadlines and closing votes by hand.
- Second, media files can be attached to answer options. So instead of a boring text list, participants can see images or other content right in the poll.
- Third, random order of poll answer options — useful so the first option doesn’t collect more votes simply because it’s first.
And the most interesting part — participants can now suggest their own answer options. This turns a regular Telegram poll into a full-fledged brainstorming session. Moreover, each suggested option has its own link, can be replied to, and user-submitted options can be copied or deleted. Essentially, polls are transforming from a simple voting tool into an interactive discussion platform.
Motion Photos in Telegram — How to Send a Live Photo
If you have an Android smartphone, you’re probably familiar with Motion Photos — it’s when the camera records a short video clip a second or two before and after pressing the shutter. You get a “live” photo that can be played back. On iPhone, a similar feature is called Live Photo.
Live photos are now available in Telegram too
The problem was that when sending through messengers, the “live” part was usually lost — the recipient would just get a static image. In the Telegram 12.6 beta, Motion Photos support has finally been added: you can now both view and send such photos with the video preserved. A small thing, but a nice one — especially when you want to share the atmosphere of a moment, not just a frozen frame.
How to Set Music in Your Telegram Profile and Find Saved Tracks
Music in a Telegram profile isn’t an entirely new idea — this feature appeared back in 2025 with the Premium subscription. But in the 12.6 beta, it’s been significantly improved: you can now search through saved tracks and upload audio files from your device’s storage.
Upload and media library search have been added
Previously, you had to first upload a track to some chat or “Saved Messages,” and then select it for your profile. Now the process is shorter — you can upload a song directly from your phone or choose from shared audio recordings in Telegram. For those who like to showcase their musical taste in their profile, this is a noticeable improvement.
Reaction and Mention Indicators in Telegram: What Changed
You probably won’t notice this one right away, but it’s really useful. In the 12.6 beta, the design of mention and reaction indicators in the chat list has been revamped. The icons have become more polished and informative, standing out against the general background of the main menu.
But the main thing is that notifications about new votes in your polls now appear right in the chat list. Previously, to find out if someone voted in your poll, you had to go into the chat itself and check. Now the indicator will show this right in the general list — alongside mentions and reactions. A small thing, but it saves a lot of time if you frequently create polls in work chats or channels. Not the most important feature, but nice to have.
When Will the Telegram Update Be Released
All the described features are currently only available in the Telegram beta for Android 12.6. At the time of writing, the stable version of the messenger is 12.5.2, and the 12.6 beta has only just started testing.
The release should happen very soon
If we go by Telegram’s usual update schedule (the company typically releases one major update per month), the stable version 12.6 for Android and iOS could arrive approximately in April 2026. However, Telegram often delays or accelerates releases depending on feature readiness and testing results.
iPhone users should keep in mind that the iOS version sometimes comes out slightly later than Android.
