Connect your Telegram channel to OmniLoop

Bots are made by an official Telegram account called @BotFather. You chat with it, and it creates the bot for you.

1. In Telegram, tap the search bar and type BotFather. Open the one with the blue verified tick and the username @BotFather. Ignore look-alikes.
2. Tap Start (or send /start).
3. Send /newbot.
4. BotFather asks for a name. Use your business name, for example Maple Street Bakery. In a channel, followers see your posts under the channel’s name, not the bot’s; the bot’s name only shows in your admin list (and on posts in a group).
5. BotFather asks for a username. It must be unique and must end in bot, for example maplestreet_posts_bot. If it’s taken, try another.
6. BotFather replies with “Done! Congratulations on your new bot.” and a long code under “Use this token to access the HTTP API”. That code is your bot token. Tap it to copy it, and keep it somewhere safe for Step 5.

Already have a channel or group you manage? Skip to Step 3. Otherwise, create a channel:

1. iPhone: open the Chats tab, tap the pencil icon (top right), then New Channel.
2. Android: tap the pencil icon (bottom right), then New Channel.
3. Computer: click the pencil icon or the menu (☰), then New Channel.
4. Enter a channel name and an optional description, then continue.
5. Choose Public or Private:
   • Public: anyone can find it, and you pick a link like t.me/maplestreetbakery. Easiest to connect.
   • Private: only people with an invite link can join. It works too; you’ll just need its chat ID in Step 4.

Your bot can only post where it has permission. In a channel, Telegram only lets bots in as admins.

1. Open your channel and tap its name at the top to open its info.
2. Tap Edit (iPhone, top right), or the pencil icon (Android). On a computer, click the ⋮ menu, then Manage channel.
3. Tap Administrators, then Add Admin.
4. Search for your bot’s username, for example maplestreet_posts_bot, and tap it.
5. Make sure Post Messages is switched on. You can leave the other permissions off.
6. Tap Done or Save. Your bot now appears in the list of administrators.

OmniLoop needs to know which channel to post to. What you enter depends on whether the channel is public or private.

How to find a private channel’s chat ID:

1. On a computer, open web.telegram.org/a in your browser and sign in.
2. Open your channel.
3. Look at the address bar. The address ends with # and a number, such as web.telegram.org/a/#-1001234567890.
4. Copy that number, including the minus sign. It should start with -100.

1. Sign in to OmniLoop and click Connect Accounts at the top of the left menu.
2. On the Telegram card, click Connect Telegram.
3. In Bot token, paste the token from Step 1. Use the eye button to check it pasted completely.
4. In Channel @username (or chat ID for a private channel), enter the address from Step 4.
5. Click Connect Telegram.

Example: this is what the filled-in form looks like inside OmniLoop.

OmniLoop checks the token and the channel straight away. When it works, the Telegram card shows Connected with your channel’s name. Your token is stored encrypted and is only used to send the posts you schedule.

1. Click Create Post.
2. In the account list, tick your Telegram channel.
3. Write your message, and add photos, a video, a GIF or a file if you like.
4. Click Post now, or pick a date and time and click Schedule.
5. Open your channel in Telegram. The post appears there under your channel’s name.

Good to know

• A text-only post can be up to 4,096 characters.
• With a photo or video, Telegram allows 1,024 characters under it. If your text is longer, OmniLoop sends the media first and the full text as a second message right after, so nothing is cut.
• You can attach several photos or videos, plus GIFs and documents such as PDFs. Photos can be up to 10 MB each; videos and files up to 50 MB.
• If you add a link to the post, it’s placed at the end of the message.