Telegram launches in-app browser supporting decentralized websites

Crypto-friendly social messaging platform Telegram has launched a new in-app browser that supports decentralized websites.

The decentralized websites — called “TON Sites” — are now available on mobile and desktop, Telegram’s team said in a July 31 post.

“This makes Web3 immediately available to our almost one billion monthly users.”

“The Browser lets users switch between viewing websites and messaging, merging communication with news consumption,” Telegram’s CEO Pavel Durov noted in a July 31 post.

TON Sites allow Telegram users to launch a web server with their website and make it available on The Open Network.

Meanwhile, Telegram announced its Mini App store, which the firm previously promised would launch before July’s end.

Telegram users can now also send “Stars” — units of the Mini App payment system — to friends.

More than 500 million out of Telegram’s 950 million users interact with Mini Apps every month.

Among the most popular Telegram apps is the four-month-old Hamster Kombat, which recently surpassed 300 million players.

Hamster Kombat is a crypto game in which players tap a hamster to earn tokens and upgrade their virtual crypto exchange. Telegram claims it was the third-fastest app to notch 150 million players.

Web3 social entertainment platform Catizen is another Telegram-based app that has seen considerable adoption.

Durov said in a July 23 statement that Catizen has amassed 26 million players since its launch in March and has earned $16 million from in-app purchases.

Roughly $160,000 of that has been dedicated to rescuing stray cats.

CoinGecko data shows that Hamster Combat and Catizen use The Open Network’s native cryptocurrency, Toncoin (TON), which has increased 467% to $6.78 over the last 12 months.

Developments are being made on The Open Network blockchain too.

The TON Core team recently launched its W5 smart wallet standard in collaboration with Tonkeeper, promising to deliver gasless transactions.

The feature was implemented as part of a further effort to bring crypto to the masses, Tonkeeper’s CEO Oleg Andreev told Cointelegraph on July 25.

“New users can now engage with TON’s ecosystem without needing to acquire Toncoin first, substantially lowering the barriers to entry.”