How to create Telegram groups and channels - Chat App Message Service

Use cases

Telegram groups and channels are two different ways to distribute messages:

Group: Enables two-way communication.
Channel: Primarily for one-way content broadcasting by administrators. Channels are ideal for announcements, news updates, and content distribution.

To manage a group or channel from the console, ensure that:

The bot has been added to the target group or channel.
The bot has administrator permissions.
The group or channel is public.

Procedure

Groups and channels follow similar creation steps:

Choose whether to create a group or a channel based on your scenario:

Feature	Group	Channel
Message direction	Two-way communication among members	One-way broadcast from administrators
Use case	User communities, interactive discussions	Announcements, content distribution
Member role	All members can post messages	Only administrators can post

Create a group and add a bot

Step 1: Create a group

Note

Before you begin, ensure you have created a Telegram bot. If not, refer to How to create a Telegram bot to create and authorize it. We recommend using the Telegram mobile or desktop app, as some features may not be supported on Telegram Web.

Open Telegram. On the main screen, click the new message icon in the upper-right corner and select New Group. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete these actions:

Select initial members. Telegram requires you to add at least one contact as an initial member. We recommend searching for and adding your bot by its username.
Enter a name for the group.
(Optional) Set a profile picture for the group.
Click Create.

Step 2: Add the bot to the group

If you already added the bot as an initial member in Step 1, you can skip this step.

Go to the chat screen for your new group. Click the group's name or profile picture at the top to open its profile page. On the profile page, find and click Add Members. Search for your bot's username (for example, my_demo_bot) and add it to the group.

Note

If you cannot find the bot when searching, verify the following:

The bot was created successfully.
The bot username is spelled correctly.
The bot's settings in BotFather allow it to be added to groups.

Step 3: Make the bot an administrator

On the group's profile page, go to the Administrators section. Select your bot and enable the permissions it needs. We recommend granting the following permissions based on your requirements:

Permission	Description
Delete messages	Allows the bot to delete messages in the group.
Manage group	Allows the bot to manage group settings.
Invite users	Allows the bot to invite new members to the group.
Restrict members	Allows the bot to restrict member permissions in the group.
Pin messages	Allows the bot to pin messages in the group.

Without these permissions, the bot cannot manage messages or members.

Step 4: Make the group public

On the group's profile page, click Edit. Change the group type to Public and configure a public username. Saving your changes generates a public link for the group in the format https://t.me/your_group_name.

Important

Chat App Message Service uses public links to identify groups. The automatically generated invite link from Telegram (in the format https://t.me/+xxxx) cannot be used for identification and integration.

Step 5: Copy the group public link

Copy the group's public link and save it in a safe place. This link is required to identify and connect the group in the Chat App Message Service console.

Create a channel and add a bot

Step 1: Create a channel

Open Telegram. On the main screen, click the new message icon in the upper-right corner and select New Channel. Follow the on-screen prompts:

Enter a name for the channel.
(Optional) Add a description for the channel.
Click Next.

Step 2: Set the channel public link

On the channel type settings page, select Public and configure a public username for the channel. This creates a public link for the channel in the format https://t.me/your_channel_name.

If the username is already taken, Telegram prompts you to enter a different one. After you confirm the username is available, click Next.

Step 3: Add the bot to the channel

Select members to add to the channel. We recommend searching for your bot's username and adding it as an initial member. You can add other members as needed after the channel is connected in the Chat App Message Service.

After making your selection, complete the channel creation process.

Step 4: Make the bot an administrator

If you added the bot as a member in Step 3, go to the channel's profile page, find the Administrators section, and promote the bot to an administrator. If you did not add the bot in the previous step, search for its username and add it directly as an administrator.

Note

Bots are typically added to channels as administrators. If you create a channel but do not add the bot, Chat App Message Service cannot manage the channel.

Grant the bot the following administrator permissions:

Permission	Description
Post messages	Allows the bot to post messages in the channel.
Edit messages	Allows the bot to edit posted messages.
Delete messages	Allows the bot to delete messages in the channel.
Manage channel	Allows the bot to manage channel settings.
Manage invite links	Allows the bot to manage the channel's invite links.

Without key permissions such as 'post messages', the bot may not function correctly in the channel.

Step 5: Copy the channel public link

Copy the channel's public link and save it in a safe place. This link is required to identify and connect the channel in the Chat App Message Service console.

Next steps

After you create the group or channel, connect it in the Chat App Message Service console. Before you proceed, confirm that all the following conditions are met:

You have created and authorized a Telegram bot.
The bot has been added to the target group or channel.
The bot has been granted administrator permissions.
The group or channel is public.
You have copied the public link.

In the Chat App Message Service console, go to the Group/Channel Management page and enter the public link to identify and connect the group or channel. The system verifies that the bot is in the group or channel and has the required permissions. After a successful verification, the group or channel becomes available to manage.

To find a group or channel, use one of the following methods:

Conversation list: The new group or channel appears directly in your Telegram conversation list.
Search by name: Search for the public username in the Telegram search bar.
Public link: Open the public link directly in a browser, for example, https://t.me/my_group_name.

FAQ

Group vs. channel

In general:

Groups are better for interactive communication among members.
Channels are better for broadcasting content from administrators.

If you want to run a community, use a group.
If your goal is to send announcements, notifications, or distribute content, use a channel.

Console recognition failure

Verify the following:

Is the group or channel public?
Is the public link set up correctly?
Has the currently connected bot been added to the group or channel?
Has the bot been granted administrator permissions?

If the bot has not been added or lacks sufficient permissions, the system will not recognize it as a valid connection target.

Why invite links are not supported

Invite links are primarily for users to join a group or channel and are not suitable as a standard public identifier.

The service requires a public link to ensure a stable and verifiable connection.

Invite link vs. public link

An invite link (in the format https://t.me/+xxxx) is used to invite members and cannot be used as a standard identifier. Chat App Message Service uses a public link (in the format https://t.me/your_name) for identification, which provides a more stable and verifiable connection.

Public group/channel requirement

Yes. The group or channel must be public to be identified and connected in the console. Private groups, private channels, and invite links are not supported.

Connection failure despite bot presence

Common reasons include:

The bot has not been granted the necessary group or channel permissions in BotFather.
The bot has been added but has not been granted administrator permissions.
The bot connected in the console is not the same one that was added to the group or channel.
The group or channel is not public.
The public link provided is incorrect.

Naming public links

The public link affects the access URL, console identification, and user search experience. Establish a naming convention before going live and choose a name that is simple, memorable, and relevant to your business.