Use this article to understand what you and your customers can send and receive on Telegram, how formatting and message limits work, and what Telegram-specific behaviors to expect — including how contacts are created and what limitations apply. This article is relevant to any teammate handling Telegram conversations in the Inbox, as well as admins configuring the channel.
What can customers send via Telegram?
Customers can send the following types of content via Telegram:
Text (with rich formatting)
Photos
Videos
Documents
Audio
Voice notes
Video notes
Animations
Note: If a customer edits a message after sending it, the edit doesn't update the existing conversation. The edited version appears as an operator note on the conversation instead.
What can teammates and Fin send on Telegram?
On Telegram, teammates and Fin can send:
Text messages
Photos
Documents
Quick replies and CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) surveys render as inline keyboards — Telegram's native button format, where options appear as tappable buttons beneath a message. Ticket forms open via the Telegram Login Widget (a Telegram-native identity verification flow that confirms the customer's Telegram account before submitting the form).
What formatting is supported on Telegram?
The following formatting options are supported in both directions on Telegram — from Intercom to the customer, and from the customer to Intercom:
Bold
Italic
Underline
Strikethrough
Code (inline)
Pre (code block)
Blockquote
Links
What are Telegram's message and media limits?
Telegram enforces the following limits on messages and media sent through Intercom:
Messages: 4,096 characters
Captions (on images and documents): 1,024 characters — captions are truncated before send if they exceed this limit
Quick reply and CSAT option payloads: 64 bytes
How are Telegram contacts created in Intercom?
New customers who message via Telegram are created as Leads (unidentified contacts in Intercom) and appear in the contact sidebar, where teammates can merge them with existing contact records.
Note: Telegram only exposes a numeric user ID and display name — no email address or phone number. New contacts will need to be matched manually after their first message.
What are Telegram's limitations in Intercom?
No pre-identification before first inbound message — Telegram doesn't share email or phone number, so contacts can't be matched to existing records until after their first message.
Reassignment is Intercom-side only — there's no bot-side conversation transfer on Telegram. Conversations can be reassigned between teammates and teams within Intercom, but can't be transferred to a different Telegram bot.
Platform rate limits — Telegram allows approximately 30 messages per second globally and 1 message per second per chat.
File size limits — inbound files above Telegram's maximum file size limit for bots are skipped and won't appear in the conversation.
Voice notes and video notes are supported inbound only — you can't send these outbound.
Stickers are ignored outbound — if a teammate attempts to send a sticker, the send will fail silently. Use images or GIFs as an alternative.
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