I recently broke down how voice message transcription works in MAX, and there are no limits whatsoever, unlike Telegram with its two free transcriptions per week. That’s already one reason. But the MAX messenger has five more things that Telegram simply doesn’t have at all. I’m writing about this without enthusiasm, but honestly: the features are real. Even if they appeared not because someone tried really hard, but because that’s just how things worked out.
MAX can do things that Telegram will never learn
Which Messenger Works in Russia
Let’s start with the most obvious. Telegram is blocked in Russia along with other foreign messengers. Many people have already gotten used to opening the app and seeing a spinning circle instead of messages. Welcome to 2026, where we now read Android news through the AndroidInsider.ru channel in MAX.
MAX can't be blocked in Russia.
MAX and Telegram in this regard are worlds apart. Will MAX be blocked in Russia? Of course not. Blocking a state messenger that the government itself promotes is roughly like forbidding yourself to breathe. Included in whitelists, works under mobile internet restrictions, doesn’t get throttled. MAX is better than Telegram in exactly one scenario: when Telegram doesn’t work and the state messenger does. And that’s the only scenario in which I open MAX without internal resistance.
Verification Codes in MAX
This is an unexpectedly useful thing. Verification codes in MAX — this is a feature that Telegram will never offer simply because it doesn’t have agreements with Russian services.
I love verification codes in MAX
Right now, codes for login and transaction confirmation via MAX are sent by Gosuslugi, Sberbank, T-Bank, Alfa-Bank, VKontakte, and dozens of other Russian services. Instead of waiting for an SMS that might arrive with a delay due to mobile network restrictions or not arrive at all with a weak signal, the code lands right in MAX instantly.
Codes from banks and Gosuslugi arrive in MAX and don't get lost.
In practice, it looks like this: when logging into a banking app, you select “Get code in MAX” instead of SMS, and within a second it’s already there. No magic, just convenient. Especially when you’re riding the subway and SMS messages arrive twice with a minute delay.
Digital ID in MAX — What Is It
This is perhaps the most ambitious feature among MAX’s advantages as a platform. Digital ID in MAX is a verified digital identity within the messenger, linked to your data on Gosuslugi. Essentially — an electronic passport in your smartphone.
Scary? It’s scary useful!
It sounds frightening, but here’s the practical application: identity verification in services without scanning documents, age verification when purchasing alcohol or medication, identification when receiving government services. Over time, the list of places where Digital ID is accepted will expand.
Digital ID is your Gosuslugi data in a messenger.
About what data Digital ID receives, I wrote separately: what exactly the service you present your ID to sees, and how it works technically. Spoiler: your data isn’t transmitted directly, only the fact of compliance is confirmed. How to create a Digital ID in MAX:
- Open MAX and go to the “Profile” section.
- Find the “Digital ID” option and tap on it.
- Tap “Create” and follow the instructions to link it to Gosuslugi.
- Confirm your identity by logging into Gosuslugi — you’ll need your login and password.
- After confirmation, a verified ID badge will appear in your profile.
Do yourself a favor: set up Digital ID in MAX
Whether to do it or not is everyone’s personal choice. All your data is already on Gosuslugi if you use it. Digital ID simply makes access to it faster.
What Is Sferum in MAX
Sferum in MAX is an educational platform for schoolchildren, students, and teachers built right into the messenger. If Telegram for school is just a general chat in a blocked parent group, then Sferum is a full-fledged environment: class chats, calls, schedules, homework, communication with teachers within the official system.
Sferum in MAX is a de facto mandatory thing for families with schoolchildren.
For those whose children attend school, Sferum in MAX has long ceased to be optional. Many schools have moved official communications there: both parents and children have to use it. The upside is that everything works within a single app rather than being scattered across ten different services.
Doctor Appointments Through MAX
And finally — something that actually works and is genuinely useful. A doctor appointment through MAX can be booked right from the messenger via integration with Gosuslugi and regional medical systems.
The national messenger will cure everyone
No need to open a separate app, search for the right clinic, or remember your login. You open MAX, find the doctor appointment service, authenticate via Digital ID or Gosuslugi — and book your appointment. Available time slots, appointment reminders, the ability to cancel — all right in the messenger.
Booking a doctor appointment through MAX is a genuinely convenient feature that will never appear in Telegram.
How to book a doctor appointment through MAX was covered step by step in a separate article. In short: the “Services” section in MAX’s bottom navigation bar, then “Health” or “Doctor Appointment.” This is the case where integration with government services works to the user’s benefit, not just the government’s.
