By the time you’re reading this, Paws, a popular Telegram mining project, could have launched its token on the Solana Blockchain on March 18, 2025.
This moment isn’t just about one project. It could be a make-or-break sign for Telegram mining. The once-exciting trend where people tapped bots on their phones to earn free cryptocurrency.
How Paws does on Solana—whether it’s a hit or a flop—might show if Telegram mining is truly dying.
If it succeeds, users might ditch Telegram for Solana or other new systems like Testnets, chasing better rewards.
Telegram mining started strong in 2024 with Notcoin, a simple game that pulled millions into the messaging app.
People loved the idea of earning crypto for free, especially in places like Nigeria where money-making chances online matter a lot.
But things went wrong. Scams, tiny rewards, and new costs turned the fun into frustration.
This essay isn’t only about crypto; it’s about what happens when a product forgets its users.
We will look at how Telegram mining rose, and fell, and what it teaches us about keeping customers happy.
Telegram and TON: The Partnership That Started It All
Telegram mining didn’t come out of nowhere—it grew because of Telegram’s connection to The Open Network, or TON.
TON is a blockchain, a kind of digital system that records transactions fast and cheaply.
Telegram’s founders built TON years ago, but they handed it over to a community of developers before it fully took off.
By 2024, TON became the backbone of Telegram’s mining games. Projects like Notcoin and Hamster Kombat used TON to give out their tokens, and Telegram made it easy with wallets built right into the app.
For a while, it was a perfect match—Telegram had tons of users, and TON handled the crypto side smoothly.
But things started to change. Some project creators didn’t like being stuck with TON. They wanted more freedom or better deals, so they looked at other blockchains like Sui, Aptos, and Solana.
By late 2024, this drift was obvious. Paws, for example, didn’t just complain, it left TON entirely after Telegram tried to force everyone to stay.
This split shows a big lesson: relying too much on one system can backfire. If Telegram had let developers choose their blockchains, maybe more projects would’ve stayed.
Instead, the cracks in this partnership helped push Telegram mining downhill, setting the stage for what’s happening now with Paws and Solana.
The Glory Days: Big Wins That Drew the Crowd
Telegram mining hit its peak because it worked well, at first. Telegram itself was already huge, with over 900 million people using it every month by mid-2024.
It made money from ads and a premium version people could pay for, so it was a solid platform to build on. Then came Notcoin in early 2024. It was a simple idea: tap a coin on your screen, earn Notcoins, and wait.
When Notcoin launched its token on TON in May 2024, it was worth $1.6 billion, and players cashed in big. That success got everyone excited. Suddenly, telegram wasn’t just for chatting; it was a place to make money.
Hamster Kombat took it even further. Starting in March 2024, it turned to tap into a game with cute hamsters and tasks. By September, it had 250 million users, and its $HMSTR token drop was one of the biggest in crypto history.
People in Nigeria, India, and beyond loved it. They saw it as a free way to jump into cryptocurrency without needing fancy tech or lots of cash.
These wins proved Telegram could mix fun games with blockchain and pull in millions.
The lesson here is that when a product gives people something easy and rewarding, they’ll show up in droves.
For a while, Telegram mining felt unstoppable, like a gold rush on your phone. But gold rushes don’t last forever, and soon, the shine started to fade as problems piled up.
Trouble Brewing: When Trust Took a Hit
The good times didn’t last. Hamster Kombat, for all its hype, let people down. After months of tapping, users expected big rewards like Notcoin’s—but many got just a few dollars worth of $HMSTR tokens in September 2024.
That stung. People felt tricked, especially after spending so much time on it.
Then came the scams. Monorix, a project that promised a token, took people’s money and disappeared.
Pixelverse signed up 41 million users but kept delaying rewards and confusing everyone with unclear rules. These flops weren’t just bad projects—they hurt Telegram’s name too.
Telegram didn’t step in to stop this. Anyone could make a bot and call it “mining,” and some were just out to grab cash and run. Users started doubting everything. They got wondering, could they trust the next big game?
In Nigeria, where crypto is a lifeline for many, this hit hard. People shared their anger on social media, calling out projects for wasting their time.
The lesson here is simple but huge: if you don’t protect your users, they’ll stop believing in you.
Telegram mining needed rules or checks to keep the bad guys out, but without them, it turned into a free-for-all.
That lack of care broke the trust that made it popular in the first place, and once trust is gone, it’s hard to get back.
The Shift to Pay-to-Play: A Broken Promise
Notcoin made mining feel free and fun—tap, earn, win. But by late 2024, that changed. New projects started asking for money. They wanted Telegram Stars, an in-app currency, or TON coins for things like “boosters” to speed up earnings or “proof of humanity” checks to prove you’re not a bot.
They said paying would get you bigger airdrops and more free tokens when the project launched. But there was a catch: no one guaranteed you’d make your money back.
For users in places like Nigeria, this was a slap in the face. They joined mining because it didn’t cost anything. Jjust time and a phone. Now, it felt like a trap: they were asked pay upfront, and then hope for something later. Many Nigerians couldn’t afford it or didn’t want to risk it, so they quit.
On Twitter people complained about being treated like “cash cows” instead of players. Engagement dropped fast. People felt, why play if the fun’s gone and the rewards aren’t certain?
The lesson is clear: don’t change the deal with your customers. If you promise something free and switch to asking them to pay, they’ll feel cheated and walk away.
Telegram mining lost its magic when it stopped being about users and started being about money.
Telegram’s Fix: Too Little, Too Late?
By January 2025, Telegram saw the mess and tried to fix it. They made a new rule: all mining projects had to use TON for their tokens, or they had to leave by February 21, 2025.
The idea was to clean things up and keep TON as the main blockchain. It made sense on paper—TON was fast and tied to Telegram’s system. But it didn’t solve the real problem. Users were angry about scams and tiny rewards, not just which blockchain was used.
Paws, a fan-favorite mining game, didn’t like this rule. Instead of sticking of with TON, it shut down its Telegram bot and moved to Solana, a different blockchain known for speed and low fees.
By early 2025, Paws was gone from Telegram, betting on a fresh start. This wasn’t just one project leaving. it showed how fed up developers were. Telegram’s fix ignored what users wanted: fair rewards and trust.
The lesson here is, you can’t force people to stay if they’re unhappy. Focusing on control instead of fixing the user experience pushed Paws—and maybe others—out the door. Now, Paws’ next step could decide if Telegram mining will still thrive or it’s truly dead..
Paws on Solana: The Big Test
Here’s where we are now. As you read this, Paws might have launched its token on Solana, maybe around March 18, 2025.
Early guesses say it could start at $0.007 or $0.008 per token, with over half its 100 billion tokens supply set for airdrops.
If it takes off well, hitting Notcoin’s heights, it could prove mining still works, just not on Telegram. Solana’s fast and cheap system might make it the new hot spot for these games. Users, especially in Nigeria, could flock there, tired of Telegram’s letdowns.
But if Paws flops—maybe too many people sell their airdrops, crashing the price—it might bury Telegram mining for good.
People are already looking at Testnets, like Eclipse or Hyperliquid, where testing new blockchains earns you tokens early. These often pay better than Telegram’s fading projects.
Paws’ success or failure could be the final word: is mining dead on Telegram, or can it live elsewhere?
On X, Nigerian users say they want rewards worth their time, not empty promises. The lesson ties to trust again: give people real value, or they’ll find it somewhere else. Paws on Solana is the test we’re all watching out for.
Users on the Move: Chasing Better Rewards
Nigerian users, a big part of Telegram mining, are at a crossroads. They loved Notcoin and Hamster Kombat at first, but now they’re vocal about the downsides—tiny payouts, scams, and paying to play.
On Twitter, they vent about feeling used, not rewarded. If Paws does well on Solana, they might jump ship, seeing it as a fresh chance at real earnings. Solana’s low fees and speed make it tempting, and Testnets are even more exciting—join early, help test, get paid big later.
If Paws fails, some might give Telegram another shot, but only if it changes. Right now, Telegram projects still ask for TON payments with no promise of profit, and that’s not cutting it.
Users want fairness—they’ll go where they feel valued. The lesson here is about listening: a product has to match what its customers need, not just what the company wants.
Telegram’s stuck on TON, but users are eyeing Solana and beyond. Paws could kick off a new wave or prove Telegram’s still got a chance—if it learns fast.
Conclusion: What We’ve Learned
Telegram mining’s story—from Notcoin’s big win to Paws’ Solana leap—teaches us plenty.
It started with a great idea: tap a bot, earn crypto, have fun. Notcoin showed how simple and free can pull in millions, especially in places like Nigeria where every chance counts.
But Hamster Kombat’s weak rewards, scams like Monorix, and the shift to pay-to-play broke the spell. Telegram’s fix—locking everyone to TON—pushed Paws out instead of fixing the trust problem.
Now, as Paws might be live on Solana, its success or failure could seal Telegram mining’s fate.
The big lessons?
First, keep it simple and fair—users loved the early days because they got real rewards without tricks.
Second, protect your people—letting scams run wild hurt Telegram’s name.
Third, don’t squeeze your customers—charging for what used to be free drove them away.
Finally, listen—Telegram’s TON rule ignored what users really wanted: value for their time. If Paws thrives on Solana, it might spark a new mining boom there or on Testnets. If it tanks, Telegram could bounce back, but only by putting users first.
For anyone building a product, this is the takeaway: trust and fairness keep people around. Telegram mining might be dying, but its lessons live on.
As users chase better airdrops elsewhere, Telegram needs to remember why they came in the first place—fun, free rewards, and a fair shot. Without that, it’s just another app losing its edge.
