Telegram, the crypto-friendly social messaging platform, has unveiled a new in-app browser supporting decentralized websites. This feature, known as “TON Sites,” is accessible on both mobile and desktop platforms, making Web3 instantly available to Telegram’s 950 million users.

In a post dated July 31, Telegram’s team announced:

“This makes Web3 immediately available to our almost one billion monthly users.”

Pavel Durov, Telegram’s CEO, highlighted the new browser’s functionality in a post on the same day, noting that it allows users to seamlessly switch between viewing websites and messaging, thereby merging communication with news consumption.

TON Sites and The Open Network

TON Sites enable Telegram users to launch web servers and host websites on The Open Network, providing a decentralized web experience.

In addition to the browser, Telegram has launched its Mini App store, fulfilling a promise to debut the feature by the end of July. Users can now send “Stars” — the units of the Mini App payment system — to friends.

Popularity of Mini Apps

Details of Telegram’s new features from the firm’s CEO, Pavel Durov. Source: Pavel Durov

More than 500 million of Telegram’s 950 million users interact with Mini Apps each month. Among these apps, the four-month-old Hamster Kombat has quickly gained popularity, surpassing 300 million players. This crypto game allows players to tap a hamster to earn tokens and upgrade their virtual crypto exchange, making it the third-fastest app to reach 150 million players.

Another popular app is the Web3 social entertainment platform Catizen, which has attracted 26 million players since its launch in March and generated $16 million from in-app purchases. Notably, around $160,000 of this revenue has been allocated to rescuing stray cats.

Integration with Toncoin

Data from CoinGecko indicates that both Hamster Kombat and Catizen utilize The Open Network’s native cryptocurrency, Toncoin (TON), which has surged 467% to $6.78 over the past 12 months.

Innovations on The Open Network Blockchain

The TON Core team, in collaboration with Tonkeeper, has introduced the W5 smart wallet standard, which facilitates gasless transactions. This feature aims to make crypto more accessible, as new users can now engage with TON’s ecosystem without needing to acquire Toncoin first, significantly lowering the barriers to entry.

Tonkeeper’s CEO, Oleg Andreev, emphasized this development in a statement to Cointelegraph on July 25, noting:

“New users can now engage with TON’s ecosystem without needing to acquire Toncoin first, substantially lowering the barriers to entry.”

Source: Cointelegraph