Ten years ago, Telegram was one of the first messengers to appear on Apple Watch. Then the app quietly disappeared just as suddenly — with no official explanation, only a promise to fix a "temporary bug." On June 9, 2026, Pavel Durov announced its return.
"A fully native Telegram app for Apple Watch is out"
Pavel Durov, X (Twitter), June 9, 2026
The new version is not a compromised port but a truly native app. According to 9to5Mac, on first launch, users scan a QR code from Telegram on their iPhone — the same way as logging in through a browser or Mac. After authorization, contacts and all conversations are available.
What you can actually do from your wrist
According to MacRumors, the following are supported: reading and replying to messages, sending stickers, recording and sending voice messages, and sharing location data. According to 9to5Mac, GIF and video playback is also available directly on the watch screen.
- Text messages — reading and replying
- Voice messages — recording and sending
- Stickers and media — GIFs, videos, location data
Why it took a decade
After 2015, Telegram was removed from watchOS without public explanation — and, as Spanish tech outlet Applesfera documented, more than 1,300 days passed before the company acknowledged the reason. Notably, as 9to5Mac points out, the new Watch app is not even mentioned in the App Store update notes. Durov announced it personally via X.
Telegram is not an exception: several major platforms abandoned watchOS at various points, but Apple has been systematically bringing developers back to the watch in recent years through improved performance and native tools.
The practical question now is: will this app last longer than the first one — or will it disappear again with the next major watchOS update if Apple changes the API?
