⭐ Telegram Stars
⭐️ Telegram Stars is a means of payment for digital goods and services within Telegram.
Stars were introduced by Pavel Durov as a necessary measure to keep the Telegram mobile app in the App Store. According to Apple's current App Store rules, any app offering the ability to purchase Digital Goods must give 30% of the commissions to Apple. Telegram's failure to comply with or bypass this policy could have resulted in the removal of the app from the App Store.
🤔 You may not have even thought, "Am I able to purchase digital goods and services on Telegram?"
With the development of mini-apps within Telegram, the range of Digital Goods is expanding rapidly: there are already thousands of apps, games, and DeFi tools, with new ones emerging every day. Various app catalogs are also gaining popularity, both within the TON ecosystem and independently of blockchain. If you go to the "Search" menu in Telegram and switch to the "Apps" tab, you'll find a list of the most popular apps that have integrated Telegram Stars for payment of their Digital Goods.
⭐️ What else can Telegram Stars be used for?
In addition to Digital Goods in various apps, Stars can now be used for several new features:
— Paid reactions in channels. A reaction using Telegram Stars is a communication tool between authors and subscribers, a voluntary donation to the channel owner, and a convenient way to thank the author for useful information or a post you liked.
— Paid content. Telegram channel authors can post photos and videos hidden behind a spoiler. To remove the spoiler and view the content, the user must make a one-time payment.
— Creating private chats and channels with a subscription paid via Telegram Stars. The author of such a group can set a monthly Stars fee, and the subscriber gets access to exclusive paid content.
— The latest innovation is the ability to create Telegram Stars giveaways in channels. Similar to Telegram Premium giveaways, the messenger randomly selects winners from the list of subscribers.
⭐️ How to purchase Stars?
If you are not a channel owner and are not receiving Stars as reactions, there are two main ways to buy Stars:
1. Fragment.com
— This is a marketplace for Telegram products that can be purchased with Toncoin: NFT Anonymous Numbers and Usernames, Telegram Premium subscriptions, and of course Telegram Stars in the new "Stars" section. You need to select the recipient's username, the amount, and confirm the transaction through a connected TON wallet.
2. Purchase with a bank card via the Telegram menu.
To use this method, go to Settings, find the "⭐️My Stars" menu, select the amount, and pay with a bank card.
You can also choose another recipient by clicking the "Gift stars to friends" button.
❕Note that purchasing Stars with a bank card costs about 30% more than buying them with TON on fragment.com. However, this option is convenient if you do not use cryptocurrency at all.