According to an announcement on January 21, Telegram and its Mini Apps will stop supporting all blockchains except The Open Network (TON).
Telegram said that TON will be the exclusive blockchain infrastructure for the platform’s Mini Apps as part of a new partnership between Telegram and the TON Foundation.
The announcement pointed out that Telegram will also continue to exclusively accept Toncoin (TON), the native token of the TON blockchain, as a non-legal currency payment instrument. Toncoin can be used in exchange for the assets and services provided by Telegram.
This new partnership builds on Telegram’s close collaboration with the TON Foundation, with Telegram previously supporting TON as the blockchain network of choice for its Web3 infrastructure.
The TON Foundation stated that Telegram’s TON function has played an important role in the growth of the TON blockchain network by updating its Mini Apps, using Toncoin for payment, and advertising platforms. The announcement states:
The new exclusive agreement strengthens the technical cooperation between TON and Telegram.
As part of the partnership, Telegram will continue to accept Toncoin as the only payment token for Telegram services such as Telegram Stars, Telegram Premium, Telegram Ads and Telegram Gateway.
Additionally, Toncoin will be the only token that will now be able to pay Telegram Mini App developers and channel owners. These developers and channel owners use Toncoin to earn their Telegram Stars and advertising revenue.
A spokesman for the TON Foundation said: "Many developers have previously chosen to deploy on TON, but some developers have added blockchain functionality through other networks."
He pointed out that TON’s expanded partnership with Telegram will make TON Connect an exclusive agreement to connect Telegram Mini Apps to blockchain wallets. Therefore, Mini Apps can now only deploy blockchain functions on TON.
He said that Toncoin has always been the only non-fiat currency payment option accepted by Telegram. "This move further strengthens their continued commitment to integrating Toncoin into their ecosystem."
Manuel Stotz, the new president of the TON Foundation, emphasized that the exclusive partnership with Telegram is an important part of its development blueprint. "TON is now ready for explosive growth in 2025." He said:
Telegram is the 6th most downloaded app in the world, a beacon for free speech, and the default messaging platform for the global blockchain community. No other blockchain comes close.
One of the most popular Mini Apps on Telegram is the click game Hamster Kombat. However, Hamster Kombat announced plans to launch its own blockchain platform on January 15, which also led to Telegram’s latest restriction that internal application services on the platform must be on the TON chain. run.
"No longer supports other blockchains! Telegram announced: Mini Apps can only use the TON public chain and tokens." This article was first published on (Block Guest).