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What is this?

Telegram conversations use the same Inbox as your other channels. This page covers what’s specific to Telegram: what people can send you, what you can send back, and how contacts and group chats are handled. For the Inbox itself, see Inbox Overview. [SCREENSHOT: telegram-inbox-conversation — A Telegram conversation in the Inbox with a Telegram badge on the contact’s avatar]

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What can I do here?

  • Find Telegram conversations with the Telegram filter
  • Reply with text, photos, video, audio, voice notes, documents, locations, and buttons
  • React to a message with an emoji
  • Let automations and AI agents reply, and take over when needed
  • Assign, label, and resolve Telegram conversations like any other

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How to use it

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Find Telegram conversations

Telegram conversations show a Telegram badge on the contact. To see only these, open the Inbox filters, pick Telegram under the channel type, and apply. See Conversation Controls.

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What people can send you

Text, photos, videos (including video notes and animations), audio and voice notes, documents, stickers, locations, and shared contacts. People can also edit a message after sending, use /commands, tap your buttons, and reply to specific messages. Files can be up to 20 MB.

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What you can send

From the Inbox composer, you can send:
  • Text
  • Photos, videos, audio, voice notes, and documents
  • Locations
  • Buttons and reply keyboards, from an automation
  • A typing indicator while you or the AI agent prepare a reply
You can react to a message with an emoji. Telegram only allows its own fixed set of emoji, and removing your reaction clears it. Reactions from customers appear as reactions in the conversation; they don’t raise the unread count or start automations.
There are no templates and no delivery or read receipts on Telegram. Messages show as sent.

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Buttons and keyboards

Buttons you send appear under the message in Telegram, and in the Inbox they look like buttons on WhatsApp.
  • Inline buttons sit under the message. Link buttons open a web address; callback buttons send a reply back.
  • Reply keyboards replace the person’s keyboard with your keys. A tap comes back as a normal message.
A tap continues a waiting flow. If nothing is waiting, it’s treated like any message the person sent, so a keyword automation on the button’s label can respond. See Telegram Steps.

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Contacts

A person who messages your bot becomes a contact with their Telegram name and username. In Contacts, filter by source Telegram. Telegram variables such as {{telegram.username}} are available in automations. Contacts and labels work as on other channels — see Contacts.

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Group conversations

A Telegram group is one conversation, stored as a contact with the source Telegram Group.
  • Each message shows its sender’s name above it.
  • With permission, use the small menu next to a message to Delete message, Warn member, Mute 1 hour, or Ban member.
  • Moderation appears in the conversation as a Moderation entry.
See Groups.

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AI agents and automations

Automations and AI agent replies work on Telegram like on other channels: a running flow first, then keyword automations, then an AI agent, then the fallback. Handing off to a person, assigning, and resolving are the normal Inbox actions. See Telegram Triggers.

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Troubleshooting / Technical Notes

  • I can’t message this contact. They haven’t started the bot or they blocked it. Telegram doesn’t allow it.
  • A message shows as sent, never read. Telegram doesn’t report delivery or reads.
  • A file is missing. Files larger than 20 MB can’t be received.
  • A reaction isn’t accepted. Telegram only allows a fixed set of emoji.
  • I don’t see the moderation menu. You need the permission to edit Telegram settings, and the conversation must be a group.
  • Group members aren’t in Contacts. By design — only the group itself is stored.
Last modified on September 26, 2026