- Telegram’s t.me domain entered serverHold status at the .me registry, causing all t.me links to stop resolving worldwide.
- The disruption affects browser-based access to Telegram channels, groups, bots, Wallet, and TON Mini Apps, while the Telegram app itself continues to operate.
- No official explanation has been provided by Telegram, the .me registry, or backend operator Identity Digital.
- The incident highlights how a single domain has become critical infrastructure for Telegram’s messaging and blockchain ecosystem.
Registry-level suspension takes Telegram’s short links offline
Telegram’s widely used t.me short-link domain has stopped resolving globally after being placed in serverHold status by the .me domain registry, disrupting browser-based access to millions of Telegram channels, groups, bots, and blockchain services.
The issue surfaced on July 13, when users began reporting that every t.me link returned DNS errors instead of opening Telegram pages. Telegram founder Pavel Durov publicly acknowledged the outage by asking the .me registry to investigate after noticing the links had stopped working. Multiple independent monitoring services later confirmed the domain had been placed on registry hold.
Hey @domainME, https://t.co/9z6UC2o37U links stopped working. Can you look into it? 🙏
— Pavel Durov (@durov) July 14, 2026
Unlike a typical website outage, the problem originates at the registry level rather than Telegram’s hosting provider or domain registrar. A serverHold status removes a domain from the global Domain Name System (DNS), preventing internet providers from translating the domain into an IP address. As a result, every t.me link becomes inaccessible regardless of browser, network, or geographic location, distinguishing the incident from cases of Telegram throttling where network traffic is intentionally slowed rather than blocked by a registry-level action.
Messaging service remains online, but web entry points are affected
The outage does not appear to impact Telegram’s messaging infrastructure itself. Users can continue sending messages through Telegram’s mobile and desktop applications, while alternative domains such as telegram.me have remained operational as temporary substitutes, indicating the issue is unrelated to claims that India bans Telegram temporarily. The disruption is therefore limited primarily to the platform’s most recognizable short-link domain rather than Telegram’s core messaging network.
However, the practical impact is significant because t.me functions as Telegram’s primary gateway for:
- Public channels and discussion groups
- User profiles and usernames
- Bot links
- Wallet in Telegram access
- TON Mini Apps
- Shared invitation links across websites and social media
For users discovering Telegram communities through search engines, news articles, or social platforms, those entry points temporarily disappeared once the domain stopped resolving.
TON ecosystem loses a major access gateway
The incident also carries broader implications for The Open Network (TON) ecosystem, which increasingly relies on Telegram as its distribution platform.
Many blockchain services within Telegram, including the custodial Wallet, Mini Apps, digital collectibles, and tokenized usernames, are launched through t.me links. Although existing users can often continue accessing services from inside the app, external onboarding through the web has become substantially more difficult during the suspension.
This illustrates an often-overlooked dependency within Telegram’s crypto ecosystem: while blockchain infrastructure remains decentralized, many user journeys still begin through centralized web infrastructure.
Cause remains unknown
Neither Telegram nor the operators of the .me registry have disclosed why the domain entered serverHold status.
Registry-level holds can occur for several reasons, including:
- Administrative or verification issues
- Registry policy enforcement
- Legal or regulatory actions
- Security investigations
- Technical or operational problems
At this stage, no evidence has been presented linking the suspension to any specific legal proceeding or regulatory action, despite online speculation following ongoing legal scrutiny involving Telegram founder Pavel Durov. Without official confirmation, the reason for the registry action remains unknown.
What happens next
The immediate focus now shifts to whether the .me registry removes the serverHold status or issues a public explanation.
Until then, Telegram’s messaging platform continues functioning, but one of its most widely used web entry points, and a key access route into the TON ecosystem, remains unavailable. As Telegram takes over TON through expanding blockchain integrations, the incident serves as a reminder that even decentralized ecosystems can still rely on centralized internet infrastructure, where a single registry-level action can disrupt access for users worldwide.
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