Telegram update brings reactions, hidden text and more

Telegram has rolled out a new update (second for the month of December) that adds a bunch of new features including reactions, message translation, themed QR codes, hidden text (spoilers), and more.

Starting with Reactions, Telegram users can now use animated and interactive emojis as reactions to share feelings and feedback without sending any message. To send a quick reaction, simply double-tap a message. Users can also change their default reaction to another emoji in Settings.

While Reactions are available in private chats, in groups and channels, the admins decide whether to turn on reactions and choose which reaction emoji are available in the chat.

Secondly, you can now hide a particular part of a message in the chat, as well as in the chat list and notifications. All you need to do is select any part of your text when typing and choose the new 'Spoiler' formatting.

Next up, with this update, you can now translate any message into another language, right in the Telegram app. You can enable Translation in Settings > Language and a dedicated Translate button will be added to the context menu when selecting a message. The list of available languages for translation depends on your phone's operating system.

The latest update also adds the ability to generate QR codes for any user that have a public username. Tap the new QR code icon next to the username of a person (or from a chat’s info page), choose the colors and the pattern of your choice, then print, post or share the QR code to other apps.

Telegram has redesigned all the context menus for macOS with new shortcut hints and animated icons for every single menu item in the app.

Lastly, the update adds more interactive emojis which you can use in 1-on-1 chats on the Telegram app.