Struggles with sending messages and media on web and desktop versions of Telegram are not limited to individual users.
Telegram users in North America have experienced sluggish performance, particularly when using the desktop or web client, over the past few days. The performance issues, which have been building since early August, have been characterized by significantly delayed message sending times, ranging from a few seconds to 15 seconds or more[1].
The problem has affected users across different platforms, with web client users on Chrome reporting slow message sending starting mid-August, and native Windows and Mac desktop clients also showing signs of the issue[1]. The widespread nature of the problem is supported by a gradual increase in outage reports on monitoring services such as DownDetector, with about 274 outage claims reported over a few hours[1].
The root causes and contributing factors of the problem appear to be multifaceted. Some users and developers found that API timeouts related to DNS resolution issues in Node.js environments, especially on certain hosting providers like OVH, contributed to Telegram bots and automated workflows timing out[3]. On the user end, clearing cache and ensuring Telegram app updates have been suggested for speed improvements, though these mostly target slow download speeds rather than message sending delays[4].
Broader technical and regulatory challenges around Telegram's ecosystem, including the Telegram Open Network (TON), have impacted overall system performance and stability, though these relate more to blockchain infrastructure than direct message delivery[2].
In response to the performance issues, Telegram PR acknowledged that they were hasty with their earlier statement and issued an updated one, indicating that some users, predominantly using web and desktop apps, may have experienced ongoing slowdowns beyond the initial fix[5]. However, according to the latest statement from Telegram PR, everything is now working flawlessly again for most users[6].
Despite the ongoing performance issues, the slowdowns do not appear to have reached the scale of a full-system outage[1]. DownDetector reports have been decreasing, and the issues were not completely resolved for a small number of users, predominantly using the web and desktop apps[6].
In conclusion, while Telegram users have faced performance issues on desktop and web clients, the service is now back to normal for most users. The root causes and contributing factors to the problem appear to be multifaceted, with a combination of backend performance bottlenecks, API timeout issues tied to DNS resolution in certain environments, and possibly related infrastructural stress. The Telegram team continues to work on resolving the ongoing issues for the remaining affected users.
[1] Source: [URL for the first source] [2] Source: [URL for the second source] [3] Source: [URL for the third source] [4] Source: [URL for the fourth source] [5] Source: [URL for the fifth source] [6] Source: [URL for the sixth source]
The performance issues with Telegram, evident in sluggish message sending times, are not restricted to a single platform, and have been observed on both desktop and web clients. These delays could be due to a combination of backend performance bottlenecks, API timeout issues tied to DNS resolution in certain environments, and possibly related infrastructure stress, causing concern for users relying on smartphones or other gadgets for their communication needs.
