What started as a rumor a few months ago has become reality this week: Telegram Premium is going. The free tier will remain as is, but a paid tier will also be added that will offer some additional features, resources and speed.

Telegram founder and CEO Pavlo Durov announced that his company will offer the Premium tier this month, but did not mention the price. Earlier rumors suggested a possible $5 a month subscription for those who want Telegram Premium, but the information has yet to be confirmed.

What we know for sure is that all available features will remain free and even users who do not subscribe to Telegram Premium will enjoy some benefits such as the ability to view very large documents, multimedia and stickers sent by Premium users. and likewise the ability to click to add premium replies already attached to the message to reply.

Adding a premium level is designed to keep existing features free, and those who want more are given the opportunity to purchase the additional features they need, at least according to Telegram. In addition, the premium subscription allows users to continue the program and get new features sooner than those who use Telegram for free.

We’ll probably never know if the move is just to support the extra resources Telegram will spend adding these new features, or if the company really plans to make money to pay the bills. The truth is that even Telegram’s CEO believes the app “should be funded primarily by its users, not advertisers,” meaning the amount of ads will be limited.