Telegram’s t.me domain vanishes overnight, Durov cries for help on X
Users are unable to access Telegram links, but core app features remain working.
Telegram app can be seen on the display of a smartphone. M. Balk/picture alliance via Getty
- The t.me domain was placed on "serverHold" status by the registry, causing widespread link failures for Telegram channels, bots, and mini-apps.
- Telegram CEO Pavel Durov has publicly requested assistance from the registry to resolve the unexpected suspension.
- Users can temporarily bypass the issue by replacing "t.me" with "telegram.me" in their URLs.
T.me, Telegram’s official short-link domain, went dark overnight, leaving users unable to share links or access some services. The domain was suspended by the registry without explanation, which is the highest authority over Montenegro’s .me top-level domain.
The t.me domain was placed on serverHold status on July 13th, 7:24:55 p.m. UTC, and remains unavailable for hours. This means that no DNS server can correctly resolve the requests, leaving the domain off the internet’s map.
This domain is deeply integrated with Telegram and used to share usernames, public channels, groups, bots, invite links, as well as its cryptocurrency (TON) wallets, mini apps, and more. This domain acts as a gateway for many people to discover or join things on the social platform.
Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of Telegram, seemingly unable to resolve the problems, shared a cry for help on X, addressing the registry directly.
“Hey @domainME, http://t.me links stopped working. Can you look into it?” the post reads.
The .me is a top-level domain for Montenegro, but is liked by many international brands, blogs, and other users. There were no known restrictions to register the domains.
The hold on t.me was set by the registry itself, which is doMEn d.o.o. (domain.me). According to GoDaddy, which is the registrar for t.me, the .me backend is operated by Identity Digital, the company in Washington that manages the “World’s largest portfolio of new top-level domains.”
Cybernews has reached out to all of them and will update this story with a response – no official explanation has been released.
Additional WHOIS lookup data reveals that the domain appears to be correctly configured. It is valid until 2035, ruling out expiration, while nameservers are set to Google Cloud DNS.
At the time of writing, the domain status remains “serverHold.”
Telegram’s core messaging app and functionality, like chats and calls, are unaffected by the downtime.
Some users on X noted that the domain was blocked on the same day the US Treasury (OFAC) sanctioned a rogue VPN service that used Telegram’s subdomain as its website (t.me/FirstVPNService). They speculate that the whole domain might have been banned by mistake.
While the t.me is down, the link can still be accessed using domain substitution – replacing the ”t.me” part in a link with “telegram.m,” i.e., using telegram.me/durov instead of t.me/durov.
