What are mini apps?
Mini apps are full applications that run inside Telegram. Outside developers build them on top of the bot platform, and they can have their own interface, payments and subscriptions, so they behave like ordinary apps without being installed.
Where to find them
- Open Search.
- Go to the Apps tab.
- Browse the Mini App Store, or open one from a link somebody shared.
A mini app can be opened in full-screen mode, and you can add a shortcut to your phone's home screen, at which point the distinction between it and an installed app largely disappears from the user's side.
Why they exist
- Nothing to install. No store download, no update cycle, no space used.
- The account is already there. No separate sign-up for each service.
- Payments are built in. Digital goods and subscriptions can be sold with Stars without leaving the conversation.
- Sharing is a link. Sending a mini app to a friend is sending a message.
What to keep in mind
Mini apps are made by third parties, not by Telegram, exactly like bots. A mini app sees what you tell it and what you do inside it. Treat one the way you would treat any website you were sent: check who runs it before entering anything of value, and be sceptical of one that arrives unsolicited.
Never enter a wallet recovery phrase or a private key into a mini app. Legitimate ones never ask, and that request is the entire mechanism of the most common scam in this space. The Web3 and Mini Apps section covers the ecosystem in more detail.