# blindGram 8.0 made Telegram comments accessible to screen readers

blindGram 8.0 Final, released December 6, 2020 on Telegram 7.2.1, made channel comments and multiple pinned messages usable with a screen reader.

This is an archived release announcement. Telegram had recently changed how a conversation is shaped: channel posts could carry comment threads, and a chat could hold more than one pinned message. Both were built for sighted use, and 8.0 was the blindGram release that brought them to screen readers, including TalkBack. The version also picked up a round of fixes for problems users had reported.

### Comments on channel posts

Comments under a channel post became reachable and readable, so you could open a post's discussion and follow it like any other chat.

### Several pinned messages

With more than one message pinned in a chat, moving between them was made easier for screen reader users.

### Quieter messages

- Every post in a channel with comments could add its comment count to what you hear, and replies and poll participants did the same. 8.0 added controls to suppress each of those spoken counts. They are still there today as **Comments Count**, **Replies Count**, and **Votes/Answers Count** under Announced with each message on the [Messages page](/docs/messages/).
- Locking a voice recording no longer had to buzz: a new option turned that vibration off. Today it is **Vibrate when Lock recorder** on the [Media page](/docs/media/).

### Fixes

- Further accessibility problems reported by users were fixed.

The beta that preceded this release is at [blindGram 8.0 Beta 5](/blog/2020-12-01/blindgram-8-0-beta-5-telegram-7-2-1/). For today's app, see the [download page](/download/).

### APK attachment

https://t.me/blindGram/284