# Pigeon for Telegram — Standalone Watch Calls & Chat > Standalone Apple Watch Telegram client with rich message support and privacy focus. (iPhone/iPad app by Vincent Neo.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pigeon-for-telegram/id1671939892 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Vincent Neo](https://appshunter.io/developer/1523681069) - Category: Social Networking, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Rating: 4.10/5 from 19 App Store ratings · 21 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 152 MB - Languages: American English, Catalan, French (France), German (Germany), Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Polish, European Portuguese and 6 more - Released: 2023-03-14 - Data updated: 2026-08-23 - Monetization: freemium - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pigeon-for-telegram/id1671939892/reviews.md ## What is Pigeon for Telegram? Before the telegraph, Pigeons ruled the messaging industry. Today, a little pigeon lives on your watch, bringing your messages across Telegram. That little pigeon, is none other than this app! Pigeon is a Telegram messaging client, built just for the Apple Watch platform. WORKS BY ITSELF Pigeon runs directly on your Watch, without a companion iPhone app, so that if you have a cellular plan, you can chat anytime, anywhere, with just the watch alone. PRIVACY FOCUSED Messages are communicated and received via Telegram’s official API, TDLib, to ensure the same level of secure communications, expected of the Telegram platform. None of your personal information is collected, so that you can chat with confidence. FORMATTED MESSAGES Pigeon receives not just plain old text messages. Formatted messages such as those with bolded, italics, underlined or strikethrough are presented as your friend had intended. SUPPORTED MESSAGE TYPES Pigeon also shows you the GIFs, stickers, photos, videos, contacts, location, voice and video notes, as well as documents* that your friend or channel had sent, while also allowing you to send* text, GIF, stickers, voice, photo^ and location^ messages to your friends too! You can even zoom in on the photos, and interact with the polls and quizzes! Currently supported document types includes png, jpeg, pdf, mp4, txt, rtf, md, gpx^ and more. DYNAMIC TYPE The interface scales according to your Dynamic Type settings, to better fit your needs! SIMPLE SIGN IN Signing in, is just 2 or 3 simple steps. 1. Using the official Telegram app, scan the QR code displayed on the watch. 2. If you have enabled Two-Step Verification, you will have to enter your password. Otherwise, you’re in! Alternatively, you may also sign in via your phone number, if it isn’t convenient for you to scan a QR code. TOPICS^ Pigeon supports topics in group chats, for better chat organisation. REACTIONS, REPLIES AND DELETE You can also send* reactions, reply to, forward messages, or even delete them, directly in the app! You can also edit your messages. Long-press on any message to view these options. CHANNEL COMMENTS^ View and interact with other commentators in a channel WEB LINK PREVIEWS Did your friend send you a link? View it in app. NOTIFICATIONS Receive notifications with image, sticker or voice attachments^*, and reply* directly, without the need of your iPhone nearby! You can also mute chats directly in the app! FOLDER SUPPORT If you prefer to arrange your chats on the official Telegram app via folders, Pigeon can sync and filter accordingly too! START NEW CHATS^ You can start new chat conversations from your synced contacts, directly from Pigeon. SIRI AND SHORTCUTS^ Send Telegram messages using your voice via Siri. SEARCH Search for contacts and public groups and channels directly in app. PARENTAL CONTROLS^ Restrict certain functionality if deemed unsuitable for the user. CALLS* Pigeon supports one-to-one Telegram voice calls, without companion phone apps. RICH TEXT SUPPORT* Implemented with a focus for AI agent support, Pigeon can display rich text content. MORE FEATURES FOR THE FUTURE Pigeon is in active development, with more features to come, in future. — *Some features requires an active subscription. With a subscription, you would be able to go to the next page of the chat list, view older messages, send messages, reactions and replies, future feature updates, as well as to support the development efforts to keep Pigeon going! ^Feature requires watchOS 10 and above. — Pigeon is not affiliated, associated, endorsed by, or in any way connected to Telegram Messenger. Note: In order to use the app without an iPhone in close proximity, an active and direct cellular or Wi-Fi connection is required for the Apple Watch. Privacy Policy: https://pigeonwatch.app/privacy Terms (Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Documentation: https://support.pigeonwatch.app/notes ## Key features - Standalone Apple Watch operation - Supports formatted messages - Handles various media types (GIFs, photos, documents) - Privacy-focused with official API - Dynamic Type scaling - Siri and Shortcuts integration - Folder and topic support ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **Subscriptions** | Subscription | Price | Period | | --- | --- | --- | | Full Access (1 Month) | $1.99 | per month | | Full Access (1 Year) | $12.99 | per year | ## Recent user reviews (10 of 21) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pigeon-for-telegram/id1671939892/reviews.md ### 3/5 — Not enough free *2026-01-21* Only good for getting notifications and seeing past texts if you are on the free plan. Please update with at least quick responses free! Thank you. Edit: okay, i know it isn’t official and Apple makes people pay $99 per year to publish apps, but come on! At least let us text for free. **Developer response:** As this is not the official Telegram app, it is built entirely from the ground up by an individual (me). Development takes time and money, which this project is fully funded from subscribers. I simply cannot let everything be free. The idea is quite simple, you can mostly read stuff, but you need to pay to write stuff. I don't understand what you mean by "cannot open watch faces" though. Watch face complications are supported in Pigeon, and it doesn't require a subscription. It acts as a shortcut to open the app quickly from the watch face. Update 1: Its not just the $99 per year fees, I spend a good amount of time to develop this app. Noted that you meant the .watchface files. I have tested it on my own watch, and it applies fine. Note that you need to have an active subscription to open documents, including .watchface files. ### 2/5 — Not enough free, and no good features *2026-01-03* Only good for getting notifications and seeing past texts. And you cannot open watch faces! So bad. Do not get. Please update with at least quick responses free! Thank you. Edit: okay, i know it isn’t official and Apple makes people pay $99 per year to publish apps, but come on! At least let us text. What I meant about the watch face is the file extension to open watch face wasn’t opening. Also, now that I think of it, you should make a full watch face. **Developer response:** As this is not the official Telegram app, it is built entirely from the ground up by an individual (me). Development takes time and money, which this project is fully funded from subscribers. I simply cannot let everything be free. The idea is quite simple, you can mostly read stuff, but you need to pay to write stuff. I don't understand what you mean by "cannot open watch faces" though. Watch face complications are supported in Pigeon, and it doesn't require a subscription. It acts as a shortcut to open the app quickly from the watch face. ### 2/5 — Not enough free, and no good features *2025-10-29* Only good for getting notifications and seeing past texts. And you cannot open watch faces! So bad. Do not get. Please update with at least quick responses free! Thank you. **Developer response:** As this is not the official Telegram app, it is built entirely from the ground up by an individual (me). Development takes time and money, which this project is fully funded from subscribers. I simply cannot let everything be free. The idea is quite simple, you can mostly read stuff, but you need to pay to write stuff. I don't understand what you mean by "cannot open watch faces" though. Watch face complications are supported in Pigeon, and it doesn't require a subscription. It acts as a shortcut to open the app quickly from the watch face. ### 5/5 — Очень неплохая альтернатива *2025-07-30* Хочу купить подписку, но при попытке оплатить- на часах выдает ошибку, можно ли как-то купить её на iphone? **Developer response:** Hi, can you contact me via email at contact@vincentneo.com with more information regarding the error shown, as well as your watchOS version? I'll be glad to assist you further on this. Thank you! Здравствуйте, не могли бы вы связаться со мной по электронной почте contact@vincentneo.com с дополнительной информацией о показанной ошибке, а также о вашей версии watchOS? Я буду рад помочь вам в этом. Спасибо! ### 4/5 — Bonne appli *2025-04-17* Bonne application, quelques soucis de performance lorsque j’ai un compte avec plusieurs canaux, et des temps de chargement relativement long ### 5/5 — Great Watch TG Client *2025-02-23* Pigeon is the only game in town if you want to leave your phone behind and keep using telegram while out and about. It is really great and feels pretty feature complete. I do wish conversation loading could happen a little faster and also wish there was a lifetime purchase option (even if it was 5x the annual or something). ### 5/5 — Best app ATM *2025-01-20* Спасибо. От версии к версии приложение начинает работать всё лучше и лучше (: Оформил подписку для поддержки разработки! ### 5/5 — Best messaging app *2024-12-31, version 1.5.2* So many features ### 5/5 — Good app *2024-12-29* Work well. ### 2/5 — Not a fan of the pricing options *2024-09-20* I know someone’s gotta make money, especially small, independent developers, but the fact there isn’t an outright purchase option is obtuse. Why not just allow a lifetime purchase? Why $12 a year? I find the pricing tiers wrong and dubious. ## Frequently asked questions about Pigeon for Telegram ### How do I sign in to Pigeon? Signing in is a simple 2-3 step process. You can scan a QR code displayed on your watch using the official Telegram app. If you have Two-Step Verification enabled, you'll need to enter your password. Alternatively, you can sign in via your phone number. ### Can I send photos and videos with Pigeon? Yes, Pigeon allows you to send photos and location messages. You can also view received GIFs, stickers, photos, videos, contacts, locations, voice and video notes, and documents directly within the app. ### Does Pigeon work without an iPhone? Yes, Pigeon is designed to work by itself directly on your Apple Watch. If your watch has a cellular plan, you can chat anytime, anywhere, with just the watch alone, without needing your iPhone nearby. ### What message formatting does Pigeon support? Pigeon supports formatted messages such as bold, italics, underlined, and strikethrough, presenting them as your friend intended. It also supports viewing web link previews. ### How does Pigeon handle privacy? Pigeon is privacy-focused and communicates via Telegram’s official API (TDLib) to ensure the same level of secure communications. None of your personal information is collected by the app itself. ### Can I use Siri with Pigeon? Yes, you can send Telegram messages using your voice via Siri and Shortcuts integration with Pigeon. This allows for hands-free messaging. ### What are the subscription options for Pigeon? Pigeon offers a 'Full Access' subscription with two plans: $1.99 per month or $12.99 per year. Both plans include a 7-day free trial. ### Does Pigeon support group chat features like topics and comments? Yes, Pigeon supports topics in group chats for better organization. You can also view and interact with other commentators in channel comment sections. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.10.1 — 2026-08-20 In this minor update, the topics list will now load faster for users with chats that include a lot of topics. Message loading speeds can also be expected to improve slightly and math expressions in rich text messages renders better now, as a bug that causes long expressions to be clipped off has been resolved. Thanks for using Pigeon! ### 1.10.0 — 2026-07-25 I am excited to announce some big new features in this breakthrough release of Pigeon: - One to one Telegram calls are finally supported in Pigeon! You can talk to your friends and family through a one to one private Telegram chat call right from your wrist for the first time! This long-awaited feature requires watchOS 9 (recommended: watchOS 11 and above) and an active subscription. (Not available in China) - Rich Text support: Pigeon now supports the recently added rich text features of Telegram, delivering a better user experience when paired with AI agents such as OpenClaw or Hermes Telegram integrations. Currently rich text features such as headings, text formatting (bold, italic, superscript, subscript, strikethrough, code), quotes, links, media, tables (watchOS 9 and above), location, math expressions, lists and sections are supported. A subscription is required for the full rich text experience. - Instant View support: Websites that already support Telegram Instant View articles will be readable directly in the Pigeon app. If you're wondering where v2.0 went: well, as v2.0 was meant to be a rework on the foundational aspects of the app, I have decided to postpone that first, in order to ship new these 3 new features out faster. Thank you for your continued support of Pigeon! ### 1.9.1 — 2026-06-07 This release of Pigeon introduces the following new features and improvements: - Users can now delete chats directly in the app - The Telegram SDK (TDLib) has been updated yet again to the latest version. - Connectivity improvements - Minor bug fixes pertaining to folder selection and QR code sharing. - Machine translated localizations for French, Hindi, Malay and Tamil languages has been added. Note: The next major version release (v2.x.x) will drop watchOS 8 and 9 support. Follow our Telegram channel at https://t.me/pigeonwatch for the latest news and updates or join our chat group https://t.me/pigeonwatchtalk to chat with other Pigeon users and its developer! Thank you for using Pigeon! ### 1.9 — 2026-05-24 This release of Pigeon introduces a couple of features and improvements: - The new app menu design is now free for all users. - Dependencies such as the Telegram SDK (TDLib) and OpenSSL has been updated. - Self destructing photos can be properly viewed in app now. - A new option has been added that allows you to skip a step when attempting to record a voice note message. - Fixed poll support, which was recently broken with a Telegram update. - Mark as Read feature in notifications has been added. - Other minor bug fixes. - Updated localisations. Follow our Telegram channel at https://t.me/pigeonwatch for the latest news and updates or join our chat group https://t.me/pigeonwatchtalk to chat with other Pigeon users and its developer! Thank you for using Pigeon! ### 1.8.2 — 2026-03-19 This release of Pigeon introduces bug fixes and new features: - The GIF provider used in Pigeon has been changed to KLIPY. This is because our current GIF provider, Tenor, will shut down in June 2026. - Fixed a crash that is triggered by specific message text rendering. - Fixed a bug that causes incorrect displays of messages that belongs to other chats. - Fixed other minor bugs. - Condensed message box text will now truncate into an icon, if there is not enough space. - Video Stickers (WebM-based stickers) are now partially supported in Pigeon, allowing you to view these stickers as static image stickers. The first frame of the video sticker will be shown. - Gift messages are now rendered in Pigeon. - AI-translated Japanese and Korean localisations are now available. Follow our Telegram channel at https://t.me/pigeonwatch for the latest news and updates or join our chat group https://t.me/pigeonwatchtalk to chat with other Pigeon users and its developer! Thank you for using Pigeon! ## Apps similar to Pigeon for Telegram | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [WA Watch - Chat on Watch](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wa-watch-chat-on-watch/id6473674490) | 4.5 (60) | Free | Social Networking | | [Watchy: use with WhatsApp](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchy-use-with-whatsapp/id1557068411) | 3.4 (5) | Free | Social Networking | | [Teleteens](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/teleteens/id1516268121) | 4.9 (9) | Free | Social Networking | | [TG Chat for Telegram](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tg-chat-for-telegram/id6758335707) | 3.9 (8) | Free | Social Networking | | [Dual Chat - for Telegram Web](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dual-chat-for-telegram-web/id1669172499) | 4.7 (28) | Free | Social Networking | | [WatchGram for Telegram](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/watchgram-for-telegram/id6508166906) | 4.5 (13) | Free | Social Networking | ## More apps by Vincent Neo - [Sunlight − Rise & Set Times](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sunlight-rise-and-set-times/id1532005455) - [Atmosphere](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/atmosphere/id1553729600) - [Environment](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/environment/id1569224845) - [Train Island](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/train-island/id6443865952) - [Oxpecker for Mastodon](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/oxpecker-for-mastodon/id6474893905) All apps by Vincent Neo: https://appshunter.io/developer/1523681069 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-23.*