Telegram Returns to Apple Watch After a Decade Away
Telegram now ships a fully native Apple Watch app, bringing messages, GIFs, voice, and stickers back to the wrist after years away.
Key Takeaways
- Telegram now offers a fully native Apple Watch app with messages, GIFs, voice, and stickers.
- The return arrives more than 10 years after Telegram first supported watchOS in 2015.
- First-party support replaces third-party workarounds as platforms revive native watchOS apps.
Telegram is back on the Apple Watch with a fully native experience after years off the device. The return signals renewed momentum for messaging apps on watchOS.
Telegram CEO Pavel Durov announced the native Apple Watch app on Tuesday (June 9). The announcement came on X, according to a report from 9to5Mac.
Users first scan a QR code from the Telegram app on their iPhone to sign in. This mirrors the login flow used on the web and Mac, according to 9to5Mac.
If applicable, users are then asked to enter their cloud password during setup. Only after that step do their contacts and conversations appear.
The app supports GIF and video playback, voice and text messages, and location sharing. It also handles stickers and more directly from the wrist, according to 9to5Mac.
MacRumors reports that users can view and respond to Telegram messages straight from the Apple Watch. Stickers, voice messages, and location details can also be shared from the app.
This release arrives more than 10 years after Telegram first supported the Apple Watch. The original support shipped with Telegram 3.0 in June 2015, according to 9to5Mac.
Telegram later joined several platforms that dropped native watchOS support a few years ago. MacRumors notes the older app was discontinued and removed from the App Store.
Third-party Telegram apps filled the gap on the Apple Watch for a while. Now users have a first-party solution again, according to MacRumors.
Interestingly, the App Store release notes do not mention the new Apple Watch support. The update is still rolling out wherever Telegram is available, according to 9to5Mac.
The move reflects a broader trend Apple has worked to reverse in recent years. More platforms are returning native support to watchOS after earlier retreats, according to 9to5Mac.
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