GIFs and “moving pictures” are fun and all but they do take up bandwidth and space, more than just the static pictures and stickers. But what if the animated ones actually don’t? The folks over at Telegram, who launched stickers back in 2015, are introducing a new format for animated stickers that will have both higher quality and lower bandwidth. The Lottie-based .TGS format is now available with a few starter packs but is also open platform so you can submit your own.
One of the joys of messaging on Telegram is the wide variety of stickers available for every emotion or occasion or conversation. And now you can make it even more fun with these animated stickers while not worrying about whether your data will run out because you’re stickering too much. The .TGS format will only take up 20-30kb which is actually six times smaller than the average photo you send through messaging apps.
And if you’re worried about your battery running out, these animated stickers actually consume less battery than those GIFs that we love to send as well. Various optimizations allow these stickers to run at 60 frames per second so the quality itself is now compromised. So if you had the option to send a moving sticker over a static one and not spend more battery or data, wouldn’t you choose that one?
To start you off, Telegram has some animated sticker packs available for you. Go to your sticker panel and you’ll be able to find things like Rambunctious Rodents to Sentient Snacks on the Trending section. You can also find the best sticker for you by typing a relevant emoji. You’ll see Telegram’s suggestions for animated stickers that will match whatever your mood is above the text box.
And if you’re a sticker designer, you can create your own animated sets and share them with Telegram users. This free, open platform is one of the reasons why Telegram is actually a pretty great messaging app to have.
