Telegram Bot API Update: Rich Messages, Ephemeral Messages, Communities, and More
Telegram Bot API introduces rich message formatting with blocks, ephemeral messages for group privacy, community support, and security enhancements for Mini Apps.
Global users still cannot access the t.me domain, as it was disabled by the .me domain registry. The Telegram team has not commented on this yet.
As a temporary measure, users are advised to replace t.me links with telegram.me or telegram.dog, which are official Telegram domains.
@telemmx editor notes that Instagram blocks links to telegram.me, but links to telegram.dog work fine.
Shortly after learning about the domain being disabled, Telegram began replacing t.me links within the Telegram app and on the official telegram.org website. Pavel Durov also attempted to contact the .me domain registry via its official Twitter account.
Possible Reason for the Block
The .me domain belongs to Montenegro, with its infrastructure managed by a joint venture of Identity Digital, GoDaddy, and local company ME-net.
The admin of the TeleLakel channel received a response from Identity Digital's customer support team, stating that the domain was disabled due to "compliance with OFAC-related requirements."
OFAC is a department of the U.S. Treasury responsible for administering and enforcing economic and trade sanctions.
OFAC has not listed Telegram on its sanctions list. However, a statement released on July 13, 2026, regarding newly sanctioned companies mentioned a service called "FIRST VPN SERVICE." Users noticed that one of its website links was a Telegram channel address under the t.me domain.
This may mean that the .me domain operator saw the t.me domain in the sanctions list and quickly blocked it without further investigation.
The @tginfo team noted that this morning Telegram deleted the Telegram channel mentioned in the sanctions list. It is unclear whether the channel was the real cause of the block, or if Telegram removed it as a precautionary measure.