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

The move is intended to give users the option to create websites and follows recent problems with the platform’s “t.me” links, which underscores how central Telegram’s link infrastructure has become to the app’s broader ecosystem.

Telegram applies for TLD as Durov promotes one-prompt websites

Telegram has filed for the “.gram” top-level domain (TLD), the company’s owner and chief executive, Pavel Durov, said in a post on X on 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.

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

Telegram already has more than 1 billion monthly active users, a milestone it reached in March last year, with about half of them opening the app every day.

Beyond simple messaging, the platform also offers bots and thematic channels that provide a wide range of information, so a domain-name option would extend an already multi-purpose service rather than add a standalone feature.

A domain-name option would add another feature to Telegram’s product set, although the filing is only an initial step and the application still needs to be reviewed before any approval is 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

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 Telegram is seeking its own domain

Telegram’s effort to secure the “.gram” domain may be linked to the recent disruption of its “t.me” links, Android Authority reported.

Those links stopped working for almost a full day last month after the “.me” top-level domain was temporarily disabled by the relevant domain registrar.

The registrar said the step was necessary to comply with requirements from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the website said.

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

At the time, Domain Name Wire reported that one of the URLs on the server allegedly led to an entity blacklisted by OFAC.

Operating its own TLD could help Telegram avoid another outage like the one that followed the suspension of its “t.me” domain in July, the outlet noted on August 18, while also giving the company more direct control over how links tied to its services are managed.

A “.gram” domain would also give Telegram greater control over links created through its platform and help it handle disputes arising from clashes with governments around the world.

Telegram and Durov, who have consistently described the company as a defender of free and private communication, have had a number of such disputes in recent years, including with the EU, France, Russia, and Ukraine.

In many of those cases, authorities accused Telegram and its management of failing to moderate content in line with local laws or of not removing prohibited information.

Durov and the company have responded by criticizing what they describe as attempts at state surveillance of chats and political censorship of information shared through the platform.

In Russia, Telegram has faced fines, multiple outages, and traffic slowdowns since this spring, which Durov also blamed on Moscow pushing citizens toward a controlled alternative.

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

The app was restored after Telegram deleted the content and banned the account that had posted it in a public group chat, Cryptopolitan reported.

Pavel Durov and a company representative criticized Apple’s decision, saying it overreacted and disrupted communication for millions because of the actions of one user.