Telegram's Wear OS app makes a comeback, now with full chats, voice notes, and more

Telegram is finally giving Wear OS users something they’ve been missing for years — a proper, fully functional messaging experience on their smartwatch. The company had actually pulled its Wear OS app back in 2021, leaving Android smartwatch users with nothing more than wishful thinking. Now, that gap is being filled again. We recently spotted a new beta version being tested, and Telegram has now started rolling out official support for both Android smartwatches and Apple Watch.

On Wear OS, Telegram finally feels usable in a real, everyday sense. You can scroll through full conversations instead of being stuck with truncated previews, including those never-ending chat threads. Media support is also included, so photos, videos, and even location previews can be viewed right from your wrist. What’s more, the voice messages are part of the package too — you can play them directly without reaching for your phone.

The experience doesn’t stop at viewing, either. Telegram lets you actively participate from your smartwatch. You can reply with text, send voice messages, and even drop stickers. It also covers the basics you actually care about: muting noisy chats, pinning important conversations, or deleting threads when they’re no longer needed. All of it, squeezed into a tiny screen.

It’s not trying to replace your phone; it’s more of a quick-access control panel for Telegram, especially useful when your phone is out of reach or when pulling it out feels unnecessary.

Of course, the smartphone app is where Telegram still shows its full ability. On Android, Telegram has grown far beyond simple messaging. Bots are now a major part of the ecosystem, and they’ve become significantly more powerful. They can send richly formatted messages with tables, checklists, quotes, and embedded media. Messages can also go up to 32,768 characters.

On the other hand, group admins can now assign bots to handle join requests, filter users, and essentially act as automated moderators. Elsewhere, Telegram Polls can now include clickable links, and the in-app browser now supports Markdown files.

Link handling has also become more flexible; users can choose whether links open in Telegram or open in another browser. Even the in-app browser itself is becoming more configurable. You can set certain sites to always open within Telegram or completely bypass it. These settings live under the Chat Settings, followed by In-App Browser on Android.

Still, the most interesting part of this update is clearly Wear OS. Telegram’s return to smartwatches feels like a nostalgic comeback. The earlier version disappeared before it ever had a chance to mature, but this new rollout finally treats the smartwatch as a real extension of the messaging experience. If it holds up well in day-to-day use, it could easily become one of those apps on your smartwatch that you use every day.