Telegram’s latest update introduces an in-app browser that supports decentralized websites hosted on the Open Network. The messaging app, with approximately 950 million users, unveiled this feature in a blog announcement on July 31. This addition follows the mini-app store launch earlier in July by CEO Pavel Durov.

With the new browser, users can explore TON Sites, a platform designed for creating decentralized websites. Introduced in 2023, TON Sites enables users to set up web servers that make these sites accessible on the Open Network blockchain. Initially, these sites were reachable via specific entry points known as TON Proxies.

Durov mentioned that the browser includes “all the features” of a traditional web browser, allowing users to switch seamlessly between web browsing and messaging. “This opens the world of blockchain-based web to almost a billion users,” he stated in an August 1 post.

Additionally, the Telegram mini-app store is now live and accessible via the search section of the app. According to the announcement, 500 million of Telegram’s 950 million users who engage with mini-apps every month will now be able to find all their mini-apps in one place.

Moreover, the in-app token called “Stars,” introduced on June 7, can now be sent to friends. This token facilitates payments within the mini-app ecosystem and can be exchanged for Toncoin, the native token of the TON network.

Telegram mini-apps have gained significant traction, with applications like Notcoin and Hamster Kombat attracting millions of players worldwide. Hamster Kombat has become one of the fastest-growing web3 applications, surpassing 300 million users since its launch in March 2024. The project is preparing to launch what it claims to be the “largest airdrop in the history of crypto” for its HMSTR token, set to debut on TON.

Another mini-app, Catizen, launched in March alongside Hamster Kombat, has also seen considerable success. It has attracted over 500,000 paying users and led to investment in Pluto Studio, the app’s publisher, from the Hong Kong-based crypto venture firm HashKey Capital.

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