RooTelegram

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Submitted by RootGPT on Thu, 2026/05/28 - 20:55
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[ENGLISH] RooTelegram — A lightweight and responsive Telegram client for SailfishOS

This application was developed using artificial intelligence technologies, specifically Warp Terminal and Claude Code Opus 4.7. Therefore, if the use of an application generated via a large-scale language model (LLM) is not comfortable for the user, it is recommended to avoid its installation and use. It is specified that any negative comment regarding this circumstance will not only be ignored but will result in the immediate blocking of the user.  

I hereby disclaim any and all responsibility for the application, its functionality, and any consequences arising from its use. By choosing to use this application, the user acknowledges and accepts that they do so entirely at their own risk, and agrees that the developer shall not be held liable for any damages, losses, or adverse effects—whether direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential—resulting from the use or misuse of the application.

 

Main features

  1. Simple, fast interface optimized for SailfishOS
  2. Full support for message formatting (bold, italic, monospace, etc.)
  3. Reliable notifications via a dedicated daemon
  4. Custom Emoji support
  5. Message PIN management
  6. Stickers support
  7. Group join request management (for admins)
  8. Modern UI + daemon architecture, for instant app startup

Project origins

RooTelegram was born as an evolution and modernization of the original Telegram client for SailfishOS:

Fernschreiber by Sebastian J. Wolf and his collaborators: https://github.com/Wunderfitz/harbour-fernschreiber#contributions

and draws inspiration from some technical solutions of:

Yottagram by Michal Szczepaniak: https://github.com/Michal-Szczepaniak/Yottagram

Both projects served as a valuable starting point, but RooTelegram introduces a fully redesigned architecture, conceived to be faster, more stable, and better suited to modern devices.

Project goal

The goal of RooTelegram is to offer a Telegram client that is:

  • responsive → instant startup thanks to the always-on daemon
  • lightweight → minimal UI, no heavy effects
  • reliable → notifications always working
  • consistent with SailfishOS → native integration, respect for Silica guidelines

The design is intentionally bare and basic, because the priority is speed, not aesthetics.

Roadmap

Current development status (ROADMAP):

  1. Message editing (text formatting) — ✔️ DONE
  2. Working notifications — ✔️ DONE
  3. Notifications daemon — ✔️ DONE
  4. Folder creation and management — ✔️ DONE
  5. Custom emoji — ✔️ DONE
  6. Message PIN — ✔️ DONE
  7. Partial text selection + copy — ✔️ DONE
  8. Group join request management (admin) — ✔️ DONE
  9. Statuses / Stories — ✔️ DONE
  10. Formatting bugfixes — ✔️ DONE
  11. Message translation (possible AI support) — ⏳ TO DO
  12. Add "Send to RooTelegram" in the SailfishOS Share menu — ✔️ DONE
  13. Add "Call" for Telegram voice/video calls — ⏳ TO DO
  14. Improve image previews (portrait and landscape), improve message formatting (word wrap and mono) and link previews — ✔️ DONE
  15. User bio and tabs (Media, Audio, Documents, Links, Groups) — ✔️ DONE
  16. Settings for Groups and Channels — ✔️ DONE
  17. Multilanguage version — ⏳ TO DO

Your support helps keep my projects alive! https://ko-fi.com/rootgpt
Telegram Group.  
GitHub: https://github.com/RootGPT-YouTube/RooTelegram-SailfishOS

---

[ITALIANO] RooTelegram — Un client Telegram leggero e reattivo per SailfishOS

Questa applicazione è stata sviluppata utilizzando tecnologie di intelligenza artificiale, in particolare Warp Terminal e Claude Code Opus 4.7. Pertanto, se l'uso di un'applicazione generata tramite un modello linguistico su larga scala (LLM) non fosse per l'utente confortevole, si raccomanda di evitarne l'installazione e l'uso. Si specifica che qualsiasi commento negativo riguardante questa circostanza non verrà solo ignorato, ma comporterà il blocco immediato dell'utente.  

Con la presente declino ogni responsabilità relativa all’applicazione, al suo funzionamento e a qualsiasi conseguenza derivante dal suo utilizzo. L’utente, scegliendo di utilizzare l’applicazione, riconosce e accetta di farlo a proprio ed esclusivo rischio, e concorda che lo sviluppatore non potrà essere ritenuto responsabile per eventuali danni, perdite o effetti negativi — diretti, indiretti, incidentali o consequenziali — derivanti dall’uso o dall’uso improprio dell’applicazione.

 

Caratteristiche principali

  1. Interfaccia semplice, veloce e ottimizzata per SailfishOS
  2. Supporto completo alla formattazione dei messaggi (grassetto, corsivo, monospazio, ecc.)
  3. Notifiche affidabili tramite daemon dedicato
  4. Supporto alle Custom Emoji
  5. Gestione dei PIN dei messaggi
  6. Supporto agli stickers
  7. Gestione delle richieste di accesso ai gruppi (per admin)
  8. Architettura moderna basata su UI + daemon, per apertura istantanea dell’app

Origini del progetto

RooTelegram nasce come evoluzione e modernizzazione del primordiale client Telegram per SailfishOS:

Fernschreiber di Sebastian J. Wolf e compagni d'opera: https://github.com/Wunderfitz/harbour-fernschreiber#contributions

e trae ispirazione da alcune soluzioni tecniche di:

Yottagram di Michal Szczepaniak: https://github.com/Michal-Szczepaniak/Yottagram

Entrambi i progetti hanno rappresentato un punto di partenza prezioso, ma RooTelegram introduce un’architettura completamente rinnovata, pensata per essere più veloce, più stabile e più adatta ai dispositivi moderni.

Obiettivo del progetto

L’obiettivo di RooTelegram è offrire un client Telegram:

  • reattivo → apertura istantanea grazie al daemon sempre attivo
  • leggero → UI minimale, nessun effetto pesante
  • affidabile → notifiche sempre funzionanti
  • coerente con SailfishOS → integrazione nativa, rispetto delle linee guida Silica

Il design è volutamente scarno e basilare, perché la priorità è la velocità, non l’estetica.

Roadmap

Stato attuale dello sviluppo (ROADMAP):

  1. Modifiche dei messaggi (formattazione testo) — ✔️ FATTO
  2. Notifiche funzionanti — ✔️ FATTO
  3. Demone per le notifiche — ✔️ FATTO
  4. Creazione e gestione delle cartelle — ✔️ FATTO
  5. Emoji custom — ✔️ FATTO
  6. PIN dei messaggi — ✔️ FATTO
  7. Selezione parziale del testo + copia — ✔️ FATTO
  8. Gestione richieste accesso ai gruppi (admin) — ✔️ FATTO
  9. Stati / Stories — ✔️ FATTO
  10. Bugfix formattazione — ✔️ FATTO
  11. Traduzione dei messaggi (possibile supporto IA) — ⏳ DA FARE
  12. Aggiungere “Invia a RooTelegram” nel menù Condividi di SailfishOS — ✔️ FATTO
  13. Aggiungere "Chiama" per le telefonate/videochaimate via Telegram — ⏳ DA FARE
  14. Migliorare preview immagini (portrait e landscape), migliorare formattazione messaggi (wordwrap e mono) e preview link — ✔️ FATTO
  15. Bio utente e tabulazione (Media, Audio, Documenti, Link, Gruppi) — ✔️ FATTO
  16. Impostazioni per Gruppi e Canali - ✔️ FATTO
  17. Versione multilingua — ⏳ DA FARE

Aiutami a mantenere attivi i miei progetti! https://ko-fi.com/rootgpt
Telegram Group.  
GitHub: https://github.com/RootGPT-YouTube/RooTelegram-SailfishOS

Screenshots: 

Category:

Keywords:

Application versions: 
AttachmentSizeDate
File harbour-rootelegram-1.8-1.armv7hl.rpm22.23 MB28/05/2026 - 20:55
File harbour-rootelegram-1.8-1.aarch64.rpm26.2 MB28/05/2026 - 20:55
Changelog: 

In v1.6

  • Fix problem criticism and compatible with Fernschreiber;
  • Fix instability;
  • Reduced entry in menù Home.

In v1.7.5:

  • Added contextual menu to the word RooTelegram on the HOME screen;
  • Added automatic return to the HOME screen when closing and reopening RooTelegram;
  • Added the ability to comment on posts in channels (where supported);
  • Changed the display and deletion behavior for emoji, custom emoji, and especially stickers (long‑pressing a custom emoji or sticker set name now allows deletion);
  • Added the ability to schedule messages;
  • Added German translation;
  • For bug reports or feature requests, please join the Telegram group.

 

RooTelegram 1.8: Stories MVP + Custom audience + CPU fix

 Telegram Stories:
 - Post photos and videos as stories (automatic landscape→9:16 crop via bundled ffmpeg)
 - Dedicated tabs: Home / Blacklist / Archive / Profile
 - Audience selector: Everyone / Selected contacts / Custom audience (persistent group that's remembered across stories)
 - Toggles: Allow screenshots, Post to my profile (Instagram-style highlights)
 - View contacts' stories with play/pause, see the viewer list and who reacted with what
 - Heart reaction + text reply on other people's stories
 - My Archive: all your expired stories (real previews, delete)
 - My Profile: stories pinned to your profile (delete)
 - Blacklist (formerly "Archived"): hides a sender from the stories feed + no notifications for their new posts
 - Desktop notifications for new contact stories (dedicated toggle in Settings)
 - "In reply to a story" chip in chat with tap-to-open

 Scheduled messages:
 - Post and manage scheduled messages in chat
 - Dedicated page for editing/deleting + confirmation toasts
  
 Stickers and emojis:
 - WEBM stickers now animated (VP9 software decoder via GStreamer)
 - Sticker sets browsable as emoji collections
 - Long-press a set name to uninstall it
 - Emoji picker reworked (Twemoji jdecked, 4009 emojis, search, recents)
 - More compact sticker picker
 - Premium animated emojis with lazy loading

 Languages:
 - German added (941 strings + 86 new for 1.8)
 - Italian: 92 new strings translated (Stories, audience picker, publish options)
  
 Performance & stability:
 - Major CPU fix: Lottie stickers / premium emojis now properly pause when you leave the chat. Previously they kept rendering frames forever (observed up to 80%+ sustained CPU on
 one core). Idle is now truly idle.  
 - Sticker freeze fix: adding/removing a sticker set no longer freezes the app for 20-30 seconds
 - Story archive fix: a blacklisted sender now correctly disappears from the Main tab
 - ForumTopics: no more bursts of redundant requests for stale topics in forum supergroups
 - Daemon background always on (the "Daemon mode" toggle has been removed; background mode is now the default)
 - Share target from the browser: share a URL and RT opens it as a message draft

 Other improvements:
 - ffmpeg bundled for landscape video stories

If you update from legacy RooTelegram 1.0 you will must reinsert setup.

Comments

monkeyisland's picture

monkeyisland

Wed, 2026/05/20 - 06:55

Thanks a lot. German Translation possible in the near future?
:)

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Sat, 2026/05/23 - 14:51

Added German Traslation. Enjoy!

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Wed, 2026/05/20 - 16:19

It seems so, but first of all I need a stable version.

explit's picture

explit

Tue, 2026/05/19 - 17:12

If i486 also will be supported, i could use it on Jolla Tablet too.

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Tue, 2026/05/19 - 20:01

ASAP. But first of all, I want a good stable version.

explit's picture

explit

Wed, 2026/05/20 - 03:09

Thanks a lot!

explit's picture

explit

Sun, 2026/05/17 - 22:25

I use the client version 1.5. Its completly in English. And of course there is RPM. Atl least for aarch64

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Tue, 2026/05/19 - 15:01

Now it's armv7hl too.

Kuba's picture

Kuba

Mon, 2026/05/18 - 10:32

Hey, I tested your 1.7 app! Interface is little bit diffrent, but not bad. Translation works partially, despite, you did not make any other translations than English version, what is interesting. My suggestion is to add some features in the future like commenting some posts, but i mentioned that before and i know it might be tough to implement. Especially both yotta and fern don't have that. The other thing i would like to mention is a synchronization with contacts. It does not work partially, same as in fern. I mean, when i try to find my friends, some of them are visible and some of them are not, despite i can see all of them on android telegram app. And what is interesting, when i can see them i don't see any profile picture. However, great app especially i know this is one of the first realease, so it is normal, not everything will work perfectly like in original android app. Keep going! I believe you can do it!

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Tue, 2026/05/19 - 14:59

For "comment post" do you mean post in channel?

Kuba's picture

Kuba

Tue, 2026/05/19 - 19:17

Yes. Channels on telegram publish their posts and some of them are allowed to comment, the same like some of them are allowed to give a reaction by followers and some of them are not

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Sat, 2026/05/23 - 20:18

Added in this version!

Kuba's picture

Kuba

Mon, 2026/05/25 - 07:53

Good, i can see that. It is impressive, that you created the best telegram client for sfos which was ever created in such a short time. I think you do a wonderfull job

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Mon, 2026/05/25 - 08:37

Thx but there's many bugs, I'm working on them.

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Tue, 2026/05/19 - 20:01

I'm trying to add that feature. Stay tuned.

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Mon, 2026/05/18 - 18:53

Thank you so much! I’ve taken note of your requests and suggestions, and I’ll keep them in mind for future updates.

roundedrectangle's picture

roundedrectangle

Sun, 2026/05/17 - 17:59

Consider adding a tag like "AI", "LLM" or "Claude" to your app's page here to avoid confusion. At first, I didn't understand how you added so many features in such a short period of time . Others might struggle to understand this too, and adding a tag would make the situation better.

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Tue, 2026/05/19 - 15:00

Done!

defactofactotum's picture

defactofactotum

Sun, 2026/05/17 - 12:08

I updated and the homescreen crashed and when it restarted all my patches had been disabled. They came back with a full reboot. I was also logged out of RooTelegram and Fernschreiber.

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Sun, 2026/05/17 - 13:56

I'm sorry about that, is the Legacy update from RooTelegram 1.0 and will never come again in the future. However is not a crash, is a black screen for 10 seconds because the lipstick is rebooted for update the link from legacy app.

roundedrectangle's picture

roundedrectangle

Sun, 2026/05/17 - 11:33

An i486 version would be nice to have.

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Sun, 2026/05/17 - 13:54

I think I will do in the future update.

RootGPT's picture

RootGPT

Sat, 2026/05/16 - 22:09

The first update is a legacy update and will show a blank screen for 10 seconds. Only from version 1.0.