Telegram plans to introduce a store for Telegram mini apps and an in-app web3 browser later this month, according to Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov. The move comes following a surge in tap-to-earn games like Hamster Kombat building on the messaging platform.
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Durov revealed the plans in his personal Telegram channel on Friday. Telegram uses web applications that run inside the social network known as âmini-appsâ. These apps allow crypto projects to launch directly within Telegram. People can use the apps without installing them on their devices.
Durov previously said that businesses have utilized mini-apps to sell physical products on Telegram for many years. According to the platform, more than 400 million people interact with the apps every month.
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In his post on Telegram, Durov said, âhundreds of millions of people [will] become familiar with blockchainâ in 2024. âWeâre proud that Telegram is at the epicenter of this societal transformation,â he added.
Telegram is used by nearly one billion people worldwide. The platform, together with its TON blockchain, has become a hub for so-called âclicker gamesâ like Hamster Kombat, Tapswap, and Notcoin. The games, which pay people for tapping their smartphone screens, enjoy a huge following. Hamster Kombat alone claims to have over 250 million players.
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The model was made popular by Notcoin, which has seen over $1.2 billion in trading volume since its launch in April. Around one million wallets joined The Open Network (TON) when Notcoin generated its token earlier this year.
âTo keep the fire going, this month, we will introduce a mini app store and an in-app browser with support for web3-pages,â Durov wrote.
Durov also said Telegram will âstep up effortsâ to combat cryptocurrency scams that âdefraud new entrants.â He said the platform will âsoonâ start to display âthe month of registration and principal country for public accounts (similar to Instagram).â
âWe will also allow organizations to use their mini apps to issue labels for channels, creating a decentralized marketplace for third-party verification,â he added.