Telegram applies for a new “.gram” top-level domain

Popular messenger Telegram has applied for a new “.gram” domain, founder Pavel Durov announced on social media this week.

The move, which aims to give millions of users the option to create websites, comes after recent issues with the platform’s “t.me” links.

Telegram applies for TLD domain with Durov promising one-prompt websites

The messaging service Telegram has filed for the “.gram” top-level domain (TLD) name, the company’s owner and chief executive, Pavel Durov, unveiled in a post on X this Tuesday.

If the application is approved by ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, “a billion Telegram users could get their own second-level domains — yourname.gram,” he wrote.

With the username-based domains, they would be able to create their Telegram-hosted websites with just one prompt, added the tech entrepreneur.

Telegram actually has more than 1 billion monthly active users already, a milestone which it reached in March last year, with around half of them opening its app daily.

The platform offers much more than simple texting through numerous bots and dedicated thematic channels with plenty of information.

The domain name option will certainly add to the messenger’s useful features. But the filing is a first step in a long process, and the application is yet to be evaluated before it’s granted.

Telegram has applied for the .gram domain zone.

If the application is approved by ICANN, a billion Telegram users could get their own second-level domains — yourname.gram.

Users would be able to set up their interactive websites hosted by Telegram — with one prompt ✨

— Pavel Durov (@durov) August 18, 2026

Why is Telegram applying for its own domain?

Telegram’s push to secure the “.gram” domain is likely related to the recent disruption of its “t.me” links, the Android Authority portal commented in a post.

They stopped working for almost a full day last month, when the “.me” top level domain was temporarily disabled by the responsible domain registrar.

The latter explained the measure with the need to comply with requirements from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets (OFAC), the website recalled.

Telegram employs “t.me” as a URL shortener directing traffic to specific places within the app, including users and channels with the format “t.me/username” and “t.me/channelname.”

One of the URLs on the server allegedly led to an entity blacklisted by OFAC, according to a report by the Domain Name Wire website at the time.

Running its own TLD could allow Telegram to prevent an outage such as the one that followed the suspension of its “t.me” domain in July, the news outlet noted on August 18.

A “.gram” domain will give it more control over links created by its platform and help it better deal with situations that arise from its clashes with governments around the world.

The company and its founder, who have always stood for free and private communication, have had a number of these over the past years, most recently with the EU, France, Russia, and Ukraine.

In many of these cases, the authorities accused Telegram and its management of failing to conduct content moderation in accordance with local laws or take down prohibited information.

Durov and the messenger have hit back with criticism over attempted state surveillance of chats and political censorship of information spread through the platform.

In the case with Russia, Telegram saw fines, multiple outages and traffic slowdowns since this spring, which Durov blamed also on Moscow forcing its citizens to switch to a controlled alternative.

Earlier in August, Apple briefly removed Telegram from the App Store after finding pornographic content that violated its guidelines against child sexual abuse material.

The messaging app was reinstated once it deleted the content and banned the account that had posted it in a public group chat, as reported by Cryptopolitan.

Pavel Durov and a representative of his company criticized the decision, accusing Apple of overreacting and disrupting communication for millions as a result of the actions of a single user.

If you're reading this, you’re already ahead. Stay there with our newsletter.