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Telegram’s t.me domain placed on serverHold, disrupting links and TON services

Telegram’s t.me domain placed on serverHold, disrupting links and TON services

The registry-level hold made Telegram’s short-link domain stop resolving, breaking browser access to invite links, channels, bots, Wallet, Mini Apps and other TON-linked services while the app itself continued working through direct connections.

TON

Fact Check
The primary WHOIS record for t.me (Whois t.me) directly shows a serverHold status and an update date of 2026-07-13, matching the claim's timing. This is a registry/server-level hold that removes a domain from DNS, consistent with the reported broken t.me links. Multiple independent contemporaneous reports (PANews, Phemex, the @sudetskypravnik X post, and the Hacker News thread) describe the same serverHold placement by the .me registry and consistently note the absence of any official statement from Telegram, the registry, or Identity Digital, whose policy is also referenced in the WHOIS layered-access data.
Summary

Telegram’s t.me short-link domain was placed on serverHold at the .me registry level on July 13, causing the domain to stop resolving and disrupting browser access to Telegram invite links, public channel pages, bot links, Wallet, Mini Apps and other TON-related services. ICANN documentation indicates serverHold removes a domain’s DNS records from the internet. Domain Name Wire first reported the incident, and neither Telegram, the .me registry nor backend operator Identity Digital had publicly explained the status change at the time described. Pavel Durov publicly asked the registry to investigate. The Telegram app itself continued to function through direct connections, and users could still search inside the app or use full telegram.org links where available.

Terms & Concepts
  • serverHold: A registry-level domain status that removes a domain from DNS resolution, making connected web services unreachable.
  • TON Connect: A tool that links Telegram Mini Apps and other services to The Open Network blockchain.
  • custodial Wallet: A wallet service in which a provider manages access or infrastructure for users’ digital assets.