Telegram Returns to Apple Watch with Native App, Finally

Your wrist just got its chat back. Telegram announced a new, fully native app for the Apple Watch, ending a long silence after the platform pulled its original watchOS client years ago.

Pavel Durov shared the news on X on June 9, 2026, writing that a native Telegram app for Apple Watch is available now. The rollout lands via the App Store and aims to restore — in a smoother, more watch-friendly form — the quick-access messaging many users missed.

What you can do from your wrist

The app covers the essentials and a bit more. Expect text and voice messages, stickers, GIFs and short videos. You can share your location and open any conversation or contact you already have in Telegram. Set up is familiar: install the watch app, then scan a QR code from the Telegram app on your iPhone to sync your messages and contacts.

• Send and receive text and voice messages
• Share GIFs, stickers and videos
• Send your location and open chats
• Sync contacts and conversation history via QR code and iPhone

This is the first fully native Telegram app for Apple Watch since the original watchOS client was discontinued.

Native apps usually mean better performance and smoother animations on the watch, and that can make a difference when you only have a few seconds to reply. Telegram hasn’t clarified whether all features work independently of an iPhone on cellular-equipped watches, so expect some functionality to still rely on your phone during the initial rollout.

If you use Telegram and an Apple Watch, check the App Store on your watch or iPhone. The new app is available to download now, and it looks set to make wrist-based messaging a more polished experience than before.