A bot is a Telegram account operated by software rather than a person. You open a chat with it exactly as you would with anyone else, and it answers automatically. There is nothing to install and no separate app.
What people use them for
- Getting something done in the chat. Converting a file, shortening a link, checking the weather, translating a message.
- Running a community. Welcoming new members, removing spam, enforcing rules, keeping statistics.
- Receiving alerts. A build finished, an order arrived, a server went down. Bots are a common last step in automation pipelines.
- Playing. Games and quizzes that run inside the chat window.
- Buying and paying. Shops that take orders and payments without the customer leaving Telegram.
How to start one
- Search for its username, which always ends in bot, or open a link somebody shared.
- Press Start. Nothing happens until you do.
- Send a command, usually beginning with a slash, or use the buttons it offers.
Typing /help is the conventional way to ask a bot what it can do, and most of them answer it.
Inline bots work inside any chat
Some bots can be used without opening a chat with them at all. Type the bot's username followed by a space in any conversation, and its results appear above the keyboard for you to insert. The built-in animation search works this way.
Bots cannot call you, cannot add themselves to your groups, and cannot read a group conversation by default. Nothing begins until you start it or an administrator invites it.
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