A Mini App in Zenedu brings learning, materials, and subscriptions together inside Telegram. The selected payment provider may open its own payment page.
In this article, we’ll figure out how the Mini App works, how to enable it, and what you can configure.
1. What a Mini App in Zenedu is
A Mini App is an interface inside Telegram that looks and feels like a separate app, but it launches directly from the bot.
With it, you can:
show products, channels and groups in a convenient format,
manage access to lessons,
give subscribers a single place for learning and subscriptions,
improve the user experience compared to the classic bot menu.
your subscribers will be able to watch lessons directly in the app without switching to the bot (for products of the “In the portal” type).
Unlike the standard Telegram menu, a Mini App:
looks more modern,
is better suited for learning,
lets you flexibly manage the structure and appearance.
2. What the Mini App looks like for a subscriber
From the subscriber’s side, everything looks simple. The subscriber:
opens the bot,
taps the button to open the Mini App,
gets into the Mini App with screens, a menu, and content.
Inside the Mini App, they can:
see available courses, channels and groups,
go through learning,
manage subscriptions,
view their profile and progress.
watch lessons (if you have selected a product of the “In the portal” type).
The Mini App opens quickly and doesn’t require installation — if desired, the subscriber can add it to the phone’s home screen like a regular app.
The app shows the subscriber’s active products. “In the bot” products appear when Show bot products is enabled in Content; their lessons are sent to the bot. “In the portal” materials open in the app.
3. How to create and activate a Mini App
To start working with a Mini App, you don’t need to develop anything.
Step 1. Activate the Mini App
Go to the "Portal" — "Mini App" section in the Zenedu panel and press the "Activate" button. After that, the Mini App will be created automatically.
By default, it will already include:
one onboarding screen,
a content section,
a subscriber profile.
Step 2. Finish the setup via BotFather
After the first publication, complete Main App setup in BotFather using the instructions in Zenedu.
Follow the setup steps:
Open @BotFather → your bot → Mini Apps → Main App.
Paste the link copied from your own Mini App settings in Zenedu.
Save the setting in BotFather.
To reopen the instructions, choose ⋮ beside Publish → Settings.
Main App setup in BotFather and publishing in Zenedu are separate actions. Zenedu configures the chat menu button when you publish the app.
4. The Mini App’s structure and content
In this section, you configure what exactly the subscriber will see inside the Mini App.
Onboarding screens
Onboarding is the welcome screens that a subscriber sees when launching the Mini App for the first time.
They help to:
explain what this Mini App is.
set the context.
redirect the user further.
You can change the text and the order of the screens. For Basic plan, 1 onboarding screen is available. With Pro, you can create 3 onboarding screens.
Mini App menu
The menu is the main way to navigate inside the Mini App. Through the menu, a subscriber goes to:
courses and lessons,
subscriptions,
profile,
support,
other important sections.
Reorder the available items. Moving an item depends on its type and free space in the other section; the last item in a section cannot be moved.
The menu supports up to 5 items, and the profile up to 10. Keep only what subscribers need.
Subscriber profile
The profile is the subscriber’s personal section.
Usually it contains:
subscription management,
access to the affiliate program,
social media links,
about us.
service sections like support,
web version link.
Content and products
The Mini App shows the content you have already created in Zenedu.
You can:
upload covers for courses and products,
add descriptions,
manage lesson visibility,
configure access to steps and materials.
view lessons and materials (for a product of the “In the portal” type).
Shop and checkout. Add active offers and publish the shop separately. At checkout, subscribers choose an available payment method, provide required contact details, and can enter a coupon if offered. Payment may open the provider’s page.
Depending on the type of product your subscribers are enrolled in, their lessons will be delivered:
to the bot, if your product is of the “In the bot” type.
directly within the app, if your product is of the “In the portal” type.
The subscriber’s active channels and groups appear alongside products. A link opens the resource when the subscriber has access to it.
5. Branding and design of the Mini App
The app name can be changed separately. Logo, primary color, and theme require Pro. Removing Zenedu branding depends on the terms of your Pro plan.
Available settings:
Mini App name,
logo,
primary color,
display theme (light, dark, or system).
These settings help make the Mini App more recognizable and neatly embed it into your brand.
6. Publishing the Mini App and changes
First save each form with Save or Add. Then click Publish so subscribers can see the updated app.
What "Publish" means:
The "Publish" button makes the current version of the Mini App available to subscribers. If you:
changed screens,
updated the menu,
changed the branding,
— subscribers see the changes after publication. The bot’s menu button will open the app, and the regular Telegram command menu is disabled.
Summary
A Mini App in Zenedu is a simple way to improve the subscriber experience and gather the entire educational product in one convenient interface inside Telegram.
You:
activate the Mini App in a couple of clicks,
configure the structure and content,
publish the changes,
and get a full-featured Mini App without code and development.
Additionally:
Check lesson access. A lesson must be active and not hidden by its access setting. The learner also needs product access, and the lesson’s opening time must have arrived.
Use "Preview" and see how it will look for students in the Mini App.
Menu and profile items. Use ⋮ to move supported items, including Support, Subscriptions, Affiliates, Saved, Shop, and the web version. Subscriptions and Affiliates require their features to be enabled; Saved requires portal products. The shop and web version appear after publication.
In "Support channel":
if you select "Bot", the Mini App will collapse and open your bot;
if you select "Link", you can specify a link to the manager’s Telegram contact.
You can disable and re-enable the app. If needed, turn the command menu back on in bot settings; it is not restored automatically. To disable MainApp in BotFather, use Disable Main App.