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All you should know about Telegram Mini Apps in 2024

August 6, 2024

The real money is within Telegram Mini Apps—proper apps capable of anything, right within Telegam Messenger interface. See why they’re worth your time.

Telegram Mini Apps, or TMAs, are just web apps that work inside Telegram. They let you run your own web apps directly in the platform, and they come with an API for smooth interaction with the messenger. 

In this article, we'll get straight to the point about why you need these apps, their main types, and how to build them without wasting time. The development process is easy: start with planning, then move on to design, build, test, and keep the app running post-launch—all without code.

What are Telegram Mini Apps?

Telegram is a do-it-all platform that handles everything from auto-replies and news to tracking your stocks and playing games. Plus, you can manage your crypto with it.

Recently, they’ve thrown in Mini Applications, a step up from the usual bots. These Mini Apps are like websites that live inside Telegram, adding even more ways to use it. For developers, these apps are a chance to pull in users, make some money, and speed up development with ready-to-use tools.

Mini Apps are full-on web platforms tucked into the bot interface, packed with features. They’ve got stuff like a Telegram-only crypto wallet and a payment system that works with 20 providers, including Google Pay and Apple Pay. 

What’s new in Telegram Mini Apps?

In the meantime, Telegram continues to add more cool stuff for its users, namely:

  • In-app browser with multiple tabs that brings Web3 to almost a billion users out there
  • Switching to notifications and back to whatever it is you were viewing is possible—with an option to bookmark stuff
  • Now there is the Apps tab—for you to browse Telegram Mini Apps! If yours isn’t there yet, you have to be first
  • Another big one—users can gift Stars to one another. Currency exchange, gifts, you name it
  • Mini Apps can be shared to stories. It’s like TikTok - the link to what the user is showing will be there for all to try
  • Front camera flash (about time!)
  • Weather widget in Stories (also about time)
  • Story covers (Instagram could never)
  • All of this goodness is also available on MacOS now

Yoinked from the Telegram Blog—your app has a chance to be there too!

Why are Telegram Mini Applications a big deal? 

For starters, Telegram's got a massive 900 million users. That's a huge pool of people ready to click and buy, making it a killer platform for businesses to ramp up sales and try new ways to make money. Mini Apps are super adaptable, doing anything regular websites can do.

Right now, there are hundreds of Mini Apps on Telegram, all officially out there and getting pushed. You can start these Mini Apps in a bunch of ways—keyboard shortcuts, buttons, you name it, making them super easy to use and engage with.

Another cool thing? These apps work everywhere—Android, iOS, PCs, Macs, Linux—with just a click, and no extra installs are needed. Using bot tech, mini apps on Telegram offer interactive experiences and quick responses, handle crypto transactions, and make apps more dynamic.

A successful Telegram Mini App example

Notcoin blew up and got 35 million users crazy fast. But that's old news. April 1, The Open League kicked off. It's another Mini App for throwing down in competitions, fighting over a prize in TON tokens. Looks like TON's going all in to own the crypto scene and pull in more devs and users.

The Open League in TON's app is all about banging out as many tasks as you can. Some are easy-peasy: follow channels, hook up a crypto wallet, or drag your friends in with a referral code.

Projects scrap it out over stats like TVL—how much cash they've got in the system—and how many folks are holding and trading on the DEX. There are two leagues, big and small, just like in regular sports. Losers in the big league drop to the small league, and winners in the small league move up.

This is just one example of how Telegram Mini Apps are shaking up the market.

Next up, we'll dive into why these Mini Apps are a big deal in Web3.

Pros & cons of Telegram Mini Apps within Web3

Let’s break down what makes these Mini Apps a solid choice for the Web3 space:

  • User-friendly vibes. These Mini Apps make things smooth for users right inside Telegram. They’re easy to use and make hanging out on Telegram more fun.
  • Everyone can get in. Since they're part of Telegram, these apps reach a massive audience worldwide. That means they can make a big splash in the Web3 world.
  • Flexibility for developers. Creators can build all sorts of apps, from finance to games to social networks. This flexibility means more cool stuff happening.
  • Web3 integration. Built with standard web tech like HTML and JavaScript, these apps blend right into the Web3 tech landscape. They're perfect for adding blockchain features.
  • Ways to make $$$. Developers have options like in-app purchases, subscriptions, and ads to make some cash. This helps keep their projects alive and kicking.
  • Tight security. Telegram doesn’t mess around with security. High standards and strong encryption keep user data safe, making everyone feel more secure.
  • Crypto community stuff. For years, Telegram has been the go-to spot for crypto nuts, sparking all sorts of chats and groups. Now, with these new Telegram Mini Apps, all sorts of Web3 gigs—from gaming finance to decentralized finance, exchanges, and even nonfungible token projects—are getting a playground to really mix things up and get interactive.

Oh, and about TON, the blockchain that Telegram whipped up—it's in the top 10 for productivity and growth. Looks like it might just become the main hangout for the crypto crowd.

Telegram Mini App use cases

Telegram Mini Apps are all over the place, and they've got a ton of uses across different fields. We're gonna dig into some solid examples that show off what these apps can really do. Plus, we'll take a look at some of the top Mini Apps on Telegram.

DeFi platforms

DeFi Mini Apps on Telegram are catching on because they slap financial services right into the Telegram chat you're already using, trying to make dealing with decentralized finance less of a headache. Here's the scoop on some TMA DeFi apps:

  • Bitget. Basically, it lets you mess around with your DeFi investments and trade crypto without leaving Telegram. It's all about making it dead simple to dive into DeFi markets.
  • TON Swap. It's all integrated into Telegram, making it super easy to swap cryptocurrencies. It's user-friendly, so you don't have to switch apps to trade.
  • Button Wallet. It's dead simple and lets you keep, send, and get cryptocurrencies on Telegram. 
  • 1inch Network. This app hooks up Telegram users with slick trading by finding the best trade routes across different pools, aiming for the best rates right through your chats.

Dating

Telegram Mini Apps make meeting new folks and checking out possible connections pretty easy and fun. The cool part about these dating Mini Apps is how seriously they take privacy and security. Thanks to stuff like end-to-end encryption and tough verification steps, no bots—only real people.

Health and wellness

Mini Apps help you keep up with your health and wellness goals right inside Telegram. They’ve got everything from fitness trackers and meditation helpers to nutrition tips and wellness tools. With features for tracking goals, workout plans, and keeping an eye on your health, these Mini Apps really push you to take care of yourself.

Here are some examples:

This list of Telegram Mini Apps just scratches the surface of what they can do. As developers keep getting creative, these apps are only going to get better.

Gaming

Telegram's Mini Apps are basically turning the platform into a one-stop shop for gaming and entertainment. Developers have the tools to create everything from simple games to immersive virtual environments and complex narratives right inside Telegram. It's a direct hook into entertainment without ever leaving your chat.

If these games are built on Web3, you can either hook up your existing digital wallet or set up a new one using Telegram's TON infrastructure, no sweat. Some examples:

  • Egg Fight Club. Battle it out by throwing digital eggs at each other. Each egg has special powers.
  • Hero Blaze. Jump into a game of strategy set in a mythical Asian-inspired saga.
  • Catizen. This app merges virtual pet care with blockchain. How you treat your digital cat changes its traits.

Productivity tools

Mini Apps are a bunch of tools for making your work and daily stuff easier. You get things like task managers, note-takers, translators, and trackers to keep your productivity up, all inside Telegram.

Some of these apps:

E-commerce

Mini Apps come with built-in payment systems—easy buying and selling stuff directly on Telegram. Merchants can build up their own Mini Apps for online stores, handling orders, chatting with customers, and processing payments. 

Here are a few:

Telegram Mini Apps for Business

So, Telegram Mini Apps are kind of a big deal if you're looking to grow your business without spending too much cash. Here's the rundown on using these apps to pull in an audience:

Telegram ads. 

These apps are cheap ways to grab people’s attention. You can throw ads out there and catch the eyes of the people you actually want to reach, which boosts your brand without breaking the bank.

Viral stuff.

You can do some fun things with Telegram Mini Apps, like setting up contests or games. Get people involved and talking, and your brand gets a nice organic boost from all the activity.

Teaming up

There’s a bunch of chances to partner up with big names inside the Telegram scene. This can help you get into bigger networks, spread your reach, and maybe even kick off some projects that benefit everyone involved.

Adding Mini Apps with TON opens up even more business tricks:

  • Commission on sales. You can make some money off transactions that happen in your apps. 
  • Tokens. You can create and sell your own tokens right inside your apps
  • Fiat money. By letting people use regular money in your apps, you open up to a wider audience who might not be into the whole crypto thing yet.
  • NFTs and games. Build games where people can use NFTs. 

Main steps to develop Telegram Mini Apps

Making Telegram Mini Apps needs you to get your act together so you can build them right without messing up. Here's how we do it:

The idea

First off, figure out what the heck your Mini App is supposed to do. Who's it for? What's it supposed to have? We always check out the market first to see what people actually want or need, and then we plan how to make it happen.

UI design

The designer (or just you!) works on making the app not just easy to use but also nice to look at. 

They think about stuff like how things are laid out, how easy it is for users to get around, and making sure everyone can use it. They sketch up some wireframes and prototypes so we can see what we're working towards before we start building it.

Implementation

The fun stuff! Let’s break it down.

First off, let’s start with the Telegram Mini App plugin.

Telegram Mini Apps lets businesses throw their web-apps directly into Telegram, just like bots. These apps handle logins smoothly too.

Directual TMA plugin—this thing lets you hook up your Directual web-app with Telegram. You can shoot out notifications through a bot and make logins easy for your users.

Step 1. Grab the free TMA plugin from the Marketplace in your Directual app

There are a couple of settings to tweak in the TMA plugin:

  • Auto login. Set it to True, and it logs users in as soon as they open your Mini App. Set it to False, and they have to click "Log in with Telegram." Use False if you want users to have options like email or Google for signing in.
  • Disable registration. True means users can’t log in if they aren’t already set up with an ID. False will set up a new WebUser for them if they log in and don’t have one yet.

If a user is registered with TMA and wants to log in on a regular web browser later, they’ll need a username and password. You can make a one-time password and send the login details via the Telegram bot.

Step 2. Launch your Directual app on Telegram

  • Fire up BotFather and whip up a new bot with the command /newbot (skip this if you’ve already got a bot).
  • Then stick your Directual app onto that bot as a webapp using the command /newapp. Just follow what BotFather tells you.

Boom, you're set! Give it a whirl and remember, if you set it to auto-login, users get logged in straight when they hit the login page.

Or better yet, see how it’s done in action:

QA 

Just test your Mini App like crazy to catch all the bugs and weird glitches. Make sure it works on all sorts of devices and screens so everyone gets the same experience. Run some real-user tests, listen to what they say, and fix stuff based on their complaints.

Directual sandbox environment will help you with this.

Deployment 

When you’re done testing, throw your Mini App onto the Telegram platform. Follow Telegram’s rules when you add your Mini App to their App Center or link it up with Telegram channels or groups. Keep an eye on how it’s doing after you launch it and update it when you need to.

Maintenance and support 

Iterate as you go. Simple as!

Best development tools for building Mini Apps

Making Mini Apps means you gotta use some top-notch tools to make the whole thing easier and faster. Here’s a rundown of some killer tools for building efficient Mini Apps:

Telegram Bot API 

Hook your Mini App into Telegram super smoothly with the Telegram Bot API. It’s got all you need—handling messages, checking who’s who, and letting folks share media. Makes your Mini App interactive.

Directual

All of your backend, no matter how complex, all without code. Marry Directual to TON, and you can build anything. This is the backbone you will rely on regardless of volume.

Telegraf.js 

Check out Telegraf.js if you’re into making Telegram bots with Node.js. It’s loaded with features and easy to use, so you can focus on making cool stuff without sweating the small tech stuff.

BotFather 

Start your Mini App by chatting with BotFather, the go-to tool for making bots on Telegram. It helps you get set up and manage your stuff without fuss.

Wallet SDK 

Add Telegram’s own Wallet SDK to let users handle crypto transactions right in your Mini App. It’s a neat way to let folks manage their digital money without leaving Telegram.

Web development tools 

Throw in some hardcore web tools like JavaScript, PHP, or Python. Use frameworks like React.js or Vue.js to whip up your app fast and make it look good and work smooth.

Payment gateways 

Drop in payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, or crypto processors to make money off your Mini App. Offering a bunch of payment options helps you rake in more cash by appealing to different users.

Analytics tools

Use stuff like Google Analytics or Sentry to keep an eye on how your Mini App is doing. Track what users are up to, spot problems, and tweak things to keep users happy and your app running long.

Factors to consider

When making a Telegram Mini App, you've gotta think about more than just coding:

  • Integrations. Like any old-school dev project, hooking up different parts is a pain and needs a lot of careful work. Make sure you get each piece right, or things will break.
  • Authorization protocol. You need to know how Telegram lets people in and keeps them out. Follow their rules closely, or you’ll mess up big time.
  • Server setup and architecture. Don’t think your usual server stuff will cut it if you’re expecting loads of users. Since these apps run separately from Telegram, you have to set up your servers to handle lots of traffic without crashing.

Telegram Mini Apps UI design advice

Why do people stick with your Telegram Mini App? Obviously, it's all about how it looks. Here’s a quick rundown of top UI design tips to keep users hooked:

  • Understanding user behavior. Telegram Mini Apps aren’t like regular sites or apps; people don’t hang around as long. You gotta design quick, distraction-free interfaces that push users to act fast.
  • Simplicity and clarity. Keep the design simple. No one likes to get lost in complicated menus. Our designers say stick to the basics and make everything easy to use.
  • Platform consistency. Make sure your app looks like it belongs on Telegram. Use Telegram’s themes and stick to their UI rules. Keep the look consistent across all devices so it feels familiar.
  • Community and sharing features. Add some social features to get people talking. The best apps build strong communities, and that’s what keeps users coming back.
  • Adaptive design. Make sure your app looks good on both iOS and Android in the Telegram world. It should respond well to different screen sizes.
  • Customization and flexibility. Play around with Telegram’s API to tweak UI elements like button colors and fonts to match user tastes and devices. This makes the app feel more personal and easier to use.

Telegram Mini App payment system

So, you want to make some cash from your Telegram App? Here’s how

In-app purchases let users buy cool features, exclusive stuff, or virtual goods right inside the app. Businesses dig this because it can make the app more useful and fun. Subscription models get users to cough up cash regularly for premium services or content. 

Advertisement revenue makes money by showing ads or sponsored content in your app. Just don’t annoy your users too much or they’ll bail. Affiliate marketing earns commission by pushing other people’s stuff with affiliate links in your app. If your users are into it, it’s easy money. 

Listing the app’s tokens is for those into crypto; you can list your app’s tokens on exchanges and play around with token burning or staking to draw more users and different cash strategies.

Here’s a quick guide how to shove all these payment options into your app:

Pick a payment gateway that’s reliable, fits the Telegram vibe, and accepts payments like credit cards or digital wallets. Good choices include Stripe, PayPal, and Telegram Payments. Integrate mobile payments since Apple Pay and Google Pay work with Telegram right out of the box. 

Just connect your main payment service and you’re good to go. Set up a developer account by signing up with your payment gateway, verifying your details, and linking your bank account to get paid without hassles. API integration is mandatory; plug the payment APIs into your app to handle money safely and keep all data secure. Make sure your connections are secure and everything’s encrypted. 

Stick to rules like the GDPR to keep out of trouble. Test everything to make sure it works right, keep an eye on how it’s doing, and tweak as needed for better performance. Use analytics from your payment provider to watch how much you’re making and what your users think.

That’s pretty much it. Get these right, and you’ll start seeing the money roll in.

Top 5 Telegram Mini Apps

You gotta keep tabs on what’s hot in the market and steal some winning moves. Here’s the lowdown on the big shots among Telegram Mini Apps right now:

Hamster Kombat

Everyone’s playing this. It’s a simple clicker game where you tap a hamster, rack up points, and supposedly cash out real money. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, that’s the hook. It’s got around 40 million people hitting that hamster every day. The devs are teasing about dropping some game coin soon, so folks can maybe start making bank off their points.

Catizen

In this game, you’re the big cheese of a city full of cats. Build stuff, upgrade things, and make sure your kitty citizens are happy. They’re planning to drop some $CATI tokens soon, which is a big deal if you’ve been stacking up those in-game coins.

Fintopio

This is the Swiss Army knife of crypto wallets on Telegram. It lets you swap crypto without memorizing those crazy long wallet addresses—just use a username. Supports all the big cryptos and makes dealing with digital money a breeze. If you’re into crypto, this is your huckleberry.

Gatto

Imagine being a cat going on epic quests and solving puzzles—that’s Gatto. Over a million users are already living their best nine lives in this game. It’s part adventure, part strategy, and totally addictive. Plus, you can mine some TON tokens while you’re at it.

TON Dating

It’s a top-tier, members-only club where everyone’s vetted to be the real deal. They’re even doling out TON tokens to keep the ladies engaged.

The future of TMAs

Looking ahead, Telegram Mini Apps are about to get a whole lot cooler and more useful. Here’s what you should keep an eye out for:

The next wave of Mini Apps is brings some fancy new tricks. Think better video and audio support, real-deal augmented reality experiences, and tighter connections with other platforms and services. It's going to be a mixed bag of everything cool.

As tech gets better, these apps are expected to become smoother. They'll handle slow internet and old phones like a champ. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to tweak and twiddle with app settings more than ever. Want to change how your app looks or acts? You’ll probably be able to adjust everything just the way you like it.

Unlike typical web apps that live all over the place, Telegram Mini Apps are bunkered down within Telegram itself. This means tighter security without needing extra stuff like VPNs to keep your data safe.

These apps are going to mesh even better with Telegram, making everything feel like one big, happy family. This should make using Telegram’s features and user base even easier.

Thanks to Telegram's huge reach, these Mini Apps are set to go big worldwide. As more people get their hands on them, they’re going to become a regular part of digital life for billions.

Afterword

Telegram Mini Apps are the future of web apps—that much is certain. Want to learn more about how Telegram Mini Apps work and how to create awesome things on Directual—hop into our community, the links are in the footer below.

FAQ

What are Telegram Mini Apps?
What are Telegram Mini Apps?

TMAs are not just for games! They're a framework on Telegram allowing developers to create diverse projects, from games to blockchain-based apps. Basically, it’s a web app that is made to embed perfectly into the Telegram client.

Why should developers consider creating Telegram Mini Apps?
Why should developers consider creating Telegram Mini Apps?

With Telegram's massive user base of over 900 million, TMAs offer a unique opportunity for developers to engage a large audience, monetize their applications, and utilize ready-made tools to expedite development processes.

How can one start developing Telegram Mini Apps?
How can one start developing Telegram Mini Apps?

The development process for TMAs involves several straightforward steps: planning your app's purpose and functionality, designing the user interface, building the app with tools like Directual and Telegram’s Bot API, testing extensively across multiple platforms, and maintaining the app post-launch.

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