Telegram introduces a feature to prevent users from texting too often in a group –
Summary
The messaging platform, which had more than 200 million monthly active users as of early 2018, said the new feature was aimed at making conversations in groups “more orderly” and raising the “value of each individual message.” It suggested admins to “keep [the feature] on permanently, or toggle as necessary to throttle rush hour traffic.” As tech platforms including WhatsApp grapple with containing the spread of misinformation on their messaging services, the new addition from Telegram, which has largely remained immune to any similar controversies, illustrates how proactively it works on adding features to control the flow of information on its platform. Shivnath Thukral, Director of Public Policy for Facebook in India and South Asia, said at a conference this month that virality of content has dropped by 25% to 30% on WhatsApp since the messaging platform imposed limits on forwards. On a similar tone, Telegram has also added an option that will enable users to send a message without invoking a sound notification at the recipient’s end. “Your recipient will get a notification as usual, but their phone won’t make a sound – even if they forgot to enable the Do Not Disturb mode.” Telegram has also introduced a range of other small features such as the ability for group owners to add custom titles for admins. In June, Telegram introduced a number of location-flavored features to allow users to quickly exchange contact details without needing to type in digits.