<p>Telegram apps for both <ahref="https://telegram.org/dl/android">Android</a> and <ahref="https://telegram.org/dl/ios">iOS</a> have been updated today. </p>
<h4>Usernames</h4>
<p>From now on, you can choose a public username in the <b>Settings</b> section of Telegram. If you do, anyone will be able to find you by your username and contact you – without having to know your phone number.</p>
<p>To find people by username, just start typing any name in the search field of the <b>Contacts</b> section. Once entered at least <b>5</b> characters, you will see the <b>Global Search</b> section in your search results. This list contains people with corresponding usernames.</p>
<p>You can find out more details about usernames in our <ahref="https://telegram.org/faq#usernames-and-telegram-me">FAQ</a>.</p>
<h4>Secret Chats 2.0</h4>
<p>Secret Chats got a major upgrade today.</p>
<p>The self-destruct timer in <b>Secret Chats</b> now includes more small values ranging from <b>1</b> to <b>60</b> seconds. In chats with these shorter self-destruct timers, the countdown for photos, videos and voice messages will begin only after they are first opened. So the content will never disappear before you have seen it or listened to it.</p>
<p>Photos with short self-destruct timers now work in <b>'Tap and Hold to View'</b> mode, and you will receive a notification each time the recipient of a self-destructing photo makes a screenshot of it. </p>
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<h4class="dev_blog_card_title">Notification Sounds, Bot Revolution and More</h4>
<divclass="dev_blog_card_lead">Today's update adds creating your own notification tones, setting custom durations for muting chats or auto-deleting messages, as well…</div>
<h4class="dev_blog_card_title">Download Manager, New Attachment Menu, Live Streaming With Other Apps and More</h4>
<divclass="dev_blog_card_lead">Today's update brings tools to help you control your downloads, send documents with a tap, re-arrange media albums before sending, turn…</div>
<h4class="dev_blog_card_title">Video Stickers, Better Reactions and More</h4>
<divclass="dev_blog_card_lead">This update brings easy-to-make video stickers, better reactions with more compact animations and extra emoji, a button to review unseen…</div>
<h4class="dev_blog_card_title">Reactions, Spoilers, Translation and QR Codes</h4>
<divclass="dev_blog_card_lead">Telegram's 12th update of the year introduces reactions, message translation, themed QR codes, hidden text (spoilers), and more.</div>
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<divclass="dev_blog_card_date">Dec 30, 2021</div>
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