MAX CEO Farit Khusnoyarov, in an interview with RIA Novosti, outlined a detailed plan for updating the national messenger in the coming months. Comments and stories are promised to launch as early as June-July, followed by streams, business accounts, and multi-account support. For a messenger with an audience of 120 million users, this is a serious statement, especially since the big MAX update is still just plans — and we’re breaking down what’s actually worth expecting.

A big MAX update is coming. What is known about the new features

When Will Comments and Stories Be Added to MAX

The two most anticipated features, according to Khusnoyarov, are comments and stories in MAX. Regular users will get them in June-July 2026, while channel authors will be able to publish stories closer to the end of summer. Both features are currently being tested. How exactly stories will be implemented in MAX has not yet been specified, but there is a chance the functionality will be similar to Telegram’s.

Stories in MAX will be added very soon

For those who run channels in MAX, comments are a critically important feature. Without them, a channel works like a bulletin board: the author writes, the audience silently reads. Feedback and discussion are impossible, and this is one of the reasons many authors still see no point in moving from Telegram.

Message Previews, Pinned Messages, and Chat Archive in MAX

In the coming months, developers promise to add a set of features without which it’s hard to imagine a modern messenger. These are important chat functions in MAX. There are no exact dates — features will appear gradually with updates.

Pinned messages are also missing in MAX, but they will appear soon

  • Message previews.
  • Pinned messages.
  • Quoting text fragments from messages.
  • Chat archive.

If you’ve used Telegram or followed the new features coming to WhatsApp, you know how basic pinning and quoting are considered today. For MAX, this is not so much a breakthrough as closing gaps that hindered everyday use.

Separately, Khusnoyarov mentioned plans for accessibility for people with visual and hearing impairments. In May, they already launched text transcription of voice and video messages, with additional accessibility features promised to be revealed later.

Live Broadcasts and Streams in MAX Channels

This summer, channel and chat authors will be able to conduct live broadcasts and streams in MAX. Currently, such a feature technically exists but works through integration with VK Video rather than natively.

Live broadcasts will be added to MAX soon

For channel authors and communities, this is a potentially useful feature: there’s no need to redirect the audience to an external platform. How convenient the implementation will be and whether stream recordings will be available remains unknown.

Extended Channel Analytics in MAX

Khusnoyarov stated that channel analytics and promotion tools in MAX are currently a priority for the developers. The launch is planned for fall 2026. Details about which specific metrics and advertising tools will appear were not disclosed by the head of the MAX messenger.

Channel analytics are needed by administrators to study reach

For channel authors, analytics is the ability to understand who reads, what works, and what doesn’t. Without it, running a channel and growing an audience blindly is difficult. Promotion tools are potentially more important: they determine whether MAX will have quality content or the messenger will remain just a platform for chatting.

Verified Business Accounts in MAX

In summer 2026, verified business accounts will appear in MAX along with official organization profiles. According to Khusnoyarov, verification will increase trust in business conversations and calls — users will see that they are communicating with a real company, not scammers.

Account verification is also in the development process

Additionally, by the end of the year, they promise to expand integration with CRM systems. This means company managers will be able to respond to clients in MAX directly from their work software. Development of chatbots and advertising tools for promoting goods and services through channels is also planned.

Multiple Accounts in MAX: When Will It Be Added

Support for multiple accounts in MAX is planned for the end of 2026. Multi-account will allow quick switching between, for example, personal and work profiles — without the need to log out of one account and log into another.