Telegram Returns to Apple Watch After 9-Year Absence

Telegram quietly brought back its Apple Watch app this week, nine years after pulling the original version from the App Store. The new release is a first-party app, not one of the third-party workarounds that filled the gap in the meantime.

The feature set is modest but functional. Users can read incoming messages, send replies, and share stickers, voice messages, and location data directly from their wrist. For anyone who relies on Telegram as a primary messaging tool, that covers the core use cases without needing to reach for a phone.

The timing is interesting given where watchOS development currently sits. Apple has been pushing watchOS updates at a steady clip, and a more capable platform makes it easier for developers to build apps that feel native rather than bolted on. Telegram’s decision to return now, rather than three years ago, probably reflects both that platform maturity and the overhead of maintaining a Watch app having dropped enough to justify it.

What This Means for Messaging on Your Wrist

The gap between 2015 and 2025 is telling. Telegram dropped its original Watch app during a period when many developers decided the return on Watch development wasn’t worth the effort, and the Apple Watch ecosystem shed a lot of third-party support before gradually recovering. The fact that Telegram is back suggests the calculus has shifted.

Apple itself has been pulling more functionality onto the device directly. iOS 18 features like automatic bill splitting from receipt photos show a broader push to reduce reliance on third-party apps for everyday tasks. Telegram moving in the opposite direction, building toward the Watch rather than waiting for the OS to absorb messaging, is a reasonable counter-bet.

For users who already had a running challenge or fitness routine tied to Apple Watch, having Telegram notifications and replies available without a phone nearby closes a real gap in daily use.