The rise of Telegram mini-apps: From attention to adoption
Background
With 900 million monthly active users on Telegram, the TON ecosystem is highly anticipated to drive massive Web3 adoption. Non-native TON projects such as Bitget, OKX, and Tabi have started integrating Telegram mini-apps, marking a significant trend in the market.
What is the Telegram mini-app？
The Telegram mini-app was launched in 2020 as an open platform through a collaboration between the TON Foundation and Chinese technology conglomerate Tencent. It enables Web3 companies to deploy crypto-friendly applications directly on Telegram, akin to WeChat mini-apps. Originally called Web Apps, it was renamed mini-app with the release of version 6.0 in April 2022. This launch coincided with the revival of the TON blockchain, which was initially abandoned in 2019 after Telegram faced a lawsuit from the US SEC and failed to complete an ICO. In 2020, the New TON team resumed development based on open-source materials, highlighting how TON's early planning set the stage for the Telegram mini-app.
The Telegram mini-app emulates the super app model of China's WeChat, aiming for a broader global user base. Similar to Apple's App Store, the Telegram Apps Center provides access to various mini-apps.
Attention economy of mini-app
Matthew Crawford, a research fellow at the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, posits that "Attention is a resource; a person has only so much of it". This underscores the economic trade-off between limited human attention and unlimited desires. In this context, capturing consumer psychology and attention becomes the core proposition of all products.
The Telegram mini-app draws user attention by emulating the WeChat mini-app model. These mini-apps, often with short life cycles, are designed to capture users' fragmented time and attention through simple gameplay and functions, making them potentially addictive. They are also compatible with both mobile and desktop clients, allowing access from phones and computers.
Currently, there are various types of Telegram mini-apps, including games, social networking, trading, and AI. Notably, in addition to native DApps on TON, other Web3 projects are also developing Telegram mini-apps.
Exchanges
Bitget mini-app
Bitget has developed a Telegram mini-app with comprehensive exchange features including spot trading, deposits, withdrawals, and more. Developed last December, it's unique for its range of functionalities within a mini-app, though it currently lacks contract trading. The app strategically uses "new user referral commissions" to drive growth.
OKX Racer
OKX Racer launched as a Telegram mini-app on July 22, is a price prediction game where players guess BTC price movements over five seconds for points. Incorporating racing dynamics for excitement, it primarily serves as a customer acquisition tool before the release of official OKX products. Plans for an exchange mini-app are also underway.
Games
TabiZoo
TabiZoo is a Telegram mini-app developed by the Tabi Chain, an EVM-compatible gaming blockchain on Cosmos. Users can earn airdrop rewards and other incentives by checking in daily, claiming mined tokens every eight hours, upgrading to increase their mining rate, and completing daily and social tasks.
Source: https://x.com/Tabichain
PlayZap Games
PlayZap Games, a free-to-play gaming platform on BNB Chain, Solana chain, and EOS chain, launched a mini-app on July 5. This app allows users to play various games, compete in real-time challenges, and earn rewards through leaderboard competitions. Featured games include Snake Blitz, a classic snake game; BasketLine, a basketball scoring game; and Slice Master, a fruit-cutting challenge.
BeraSig
BeraSig is a gamified mobile portal built on the Berachain chain. In June, BeraSig introduced the Telegram mini-game Bee Catcher, which now boasts 210,000 daily active users. Players can mine BEE tokens, upgrade their speed, and increase their package capacity to earn more BEE. The amount of BEE collected determines the allocation of Sugar rewards each season. Season 1 has concluded, and Season 2 has commenced. According to the BeraSig roadmap, Telegram mini-games play a crucial role in their strategy.
Source: https://x.com/BeraSigHub/status/1814237767964193206
Wizzwoods
Wizzwoods is a pixel cultivation game on Telegram supported by Berachain and Tabi. The gameplay involves upgrading wizards, enhancing sculptures, expanding land, and sending more wizards to farm. Currently, the Wizzwoods Telegram group has 65,000 members.
Source: https://x.com/Wizzwoods_game
Taman
Taman is a fully on-chain game hosted on the Manta Network and supported by Manta founder Victor Ji. On July 17, Taman announced that its Airdrop program will launch as a Telegram mini-app. Users can accumulate TAMAN tokens over time, with primary earning opportunities through inviting new users and completing daily and social tasks. When users enter the Taman mini-game, a wallet and private key are automatically generated, allowing them to deposit ETH into this wallet.
Banana
Banana is a Telegram-based game supported by CARV, a provider of modular data layers for gaming and AI. The gameplay is straightforward: users tap the banana on the homepage to collect banana peels, and every eight hours, they can claim bananas and gather more peels. Depending on their luck, users can obtain bananas of varying qualities, with rare bananas being immediately converted to USDT.
Source: https://x.com/thebananagameee
https://t.me/OfficialBananaBot/banana?startapp=referral=5BL7311
AI & Social
Dmail
The Dmail Network's Telegram mini-app, launched in June, enables users to create new email addresses for private messaging across blockchain and traditional email systems.
It features functionalities such as subscriptions to updates, engagement in the NFT market, and participation in domain presales. Additionally, users can earn points through daily tasks and on-chain activities to upgrade their membership for free. Furthermore, the second season of the DMAIL airdrop rewards is currently underway, with task-related points providing additional chances to receive airdrop rewards.
CharacterX
CharacterX, a decentralized AI-driven synthetic social network developed by a team from Stanford University, merges AGI social interactions with blockchain technology. This platform supports Android, iOS, and recently launched a Telegram mini-app that lets users earn CAI points and interact with AI characters.
In January, CharacterX closed a funding round of $2.8 million, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, valuing the company at $30 million.
Source: https://x.com/CharacterXAI
Conclusion
The rise of Telegram mini-apps signifies a crucial shift in Web3 digital interactions. Leveraging Telegram's extensive user base, these apps enhance engagement and offer traditional platforms a gateway into the crypto space. By emulating WeChat's model, they foster innovative customer acquisition and support diverse applications—from trading to gaming and AI. This trend underscores how the blend of social media and decentralized technology creates new opportunities for users and developers, facilitating broader Web3 adoption.
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