Telegram v5.9 introduces new animated stickers format, comes with smooth animations and small file sizes

Telegram doesn’t have the user volume that WhatsApp has but it does have some features which the latter doesn’t have. One of them is support for a better sticker system. Stickers were first introduced by Telegram in early 2015. Since then, “the Telegram sticker format has been adopted by other apps to reach a total of 2 billion people”, claims Telegram’s official website. Now, the UK-based instant messaging app has introduced animated stickers that are said to be high-quality while keeping the file sizes small to ensure that they don't consume a lot of bandwidth. 

Animated stickers are now rolling out for all users on the latest Telegram app v5.9. The latest animated stickers take up about 20-30 Kilobytes of space, which is less than six times the average photo. They are based on .TGS format, which means artists and users are free to develop their own stickers. Additionally, the stickers are optimised in such a way that they consume less battery than GIFs and run at a smooth 60 frames per second. 

To download the new animated stickers, users simply need to tap on a received sticker button. The full changelog for v5.9 is mentioned below:

• Send ultra-lightweight high-quality animated stickers to express emotion with motion.
• Receive animated stickers instantly on any connection at just 20-30 KB per sticker.
• Enjoy smooth animations at 60 frames per second.
• Create new animated sets and upload them to @stickers for everybody to use.
• Try animated stickers from the Trending tab in your sticker panel.

The animated stickers will be reflected on the Telegram app once users update it to the latest version 5.9. The new update is being rolled out to all the mobile users. Once the app is updated, the new format for animated stickers will be shown and users can use them in their chats to spice up their conversations.