Messaging platforms have been steadily adding support for the Apple Watch. At the tail end of last year, WhatsApp launched a dedicated app for the device. Now, Telegram has followed WhatsApp’s lead. In a recent X post, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced that a “fully native” app is now available for Apple Watch.
Upon opening the app for the first time on the watch, the user will be presented with a QR code. They will have to scan this code with their iPhone app for authentication. Basically, this process is similar to logging in from another platform. Other than that, the user will have to input their cloud password if they have two-factor authentication enabled.
As demonstrated in Durov’s X post, the new app allows the user to access their contacts and conversations. Aside from text content, the app includes support for various types of media, such as stickers, GIFs, as well as videos. Of course, the user is not limited to just viewing chats, as they can type and send responses as well. Furthermore, they can record voice messages and share their location.
Those who have been around during Telegram’s early days may know that this is not the first time the platform introduced Apple Watch support. All the way back in June 2015, a native app rolled out with similar messaging capabilities. However, a few years later, the company dropped support for watchOS. So essentially, this is more of a revival than anything else.
That said, those looking to get Telegram on their smartwatches will have to make sure their devices are compatible. As outlined on the App Store page, the minimum requirement is watchOS 26.0. However, this detail might be easily missed, since the release notes don’t include the new Apple Watch support.
