Gap
Platform · this deep dive is built from the official pages of the platform itself and of the tools that support it.
Overview
Gap (گپ, "Gap" — Persian for "chat") is an Iranian messenger with a payment and commerce layer built on top. The platform describes itself as a cloud communication service with extra features that international messengers don't have, plus a separate server-side environment for developers.
Gap has three separate entry points — the messenger itself, the "Gap world" and the business centre with its developer centre. Channels and groups live in the app, while bots, storefronts and advertising are set up in the my.gap.im business centre.
What sets it apart from Telegram, the platform it is most often compared with, is the till. A bot here does more than exchange messages: it handles bills, invoices and in-app purchases, and the user has a wallet. The typical way of working with an audience is closer to "a shop inside a messenger" than to "a channel that publishes posts".
Who's here
Gap is translated into Persian, Arabic, Turkish and English, and the site switches between Persian, English and Arabic. The owner is named in the policy: the sole owner of the GapMessenger app and the gap.im domain is TS Information Technology Ltd (TSIT). The Iranian connection is confirmed by the reference to the E-Namad trust seal in the home page markup.
Getting started
Registration is tied to a phone number: you enter your mobile number and receive a four-digit code by SMS, or by voice call if the message doesn't arrive. Phone numbers are hidden from the other party, but if you have saved someone's number in your contacts and message them, your number becomes visible to them.
A channel is created from the new-chat screen. In a private channel or group only the owner can add members; in a public one any member can, and only a public channel has a join link and turns up in search. You can get into the directory by application: the owner of an active channel that publishes daily submits a request through support, and after review the channel is added to the list of featured channels in the "Gap world".
There is no separate business profile — there is an entrance to the business centre. The platform describes it as the place that has everything you need to run an online business on top of the messenger, and lists more than nine tools: the bot platform, storefronts, sticker sales, an advertising system, accounting, payment through Gap, quiz and contest builders, and a gaming centre. You sign in to the developer panel through my.gap.im, using a one-time code sent to your registered number or by scanning a QR code from the app; the documentation mentions no document or legal-entity checks.
What you can publish
The formats are listed in the bot documentation: text, image, audio, video, voice message, file, contact, location, service action, bills, invoices and in-app purchases, and among interface elements — the reply keyboard, the inline keyboard and sending a form to the user.
The privacy policy covers data, not content.
For design work there is a brand style guide with a palette, typography, clear space around the logo and a list of unacceptable ways to use the mark, which the platform says is mandatory for all users; the page carries a 2019 copyright notice.
How to grow
Organic growth comes down to search for a public channel, the join link and an application to the directory through support.
The platform runs its own advertising: ads are shown inside the messenger in text, image and video format, and channel owners in turn can earn from advertising.
For record-keeping there is the accounting section with the details of financial transactions: bills, subscriptions, income and expenses. That tracks money, not audience.
Path to monetization
The ways of earning the platform names: set up a virtual store and sell goods and services, plus upload and sell stickers, earn from advertising in your own channel and run paid contests through the competition builder.
The money side is described separately: a wallet with transfers between users; Gapcy, the messenger's cryptocurrency, backed by the rial and built on a blockchain; a personal payment gateway at pay.gap.im; settlements in local currency, dollars and euros; issuing bills and accepting payments on credit.
Tools and automation
The official interface is documented in detail: a developer creates a bot in the business centre and connects it to their own project; through the API you can message any user registered with the bot, send plain and multimedia messages, receive messages, offer reply options as buttons and accept payment.
The bot type determines how broadcasting works: interactive is two-way; notification group works like a channel, where only the administrator can post; notification individual is the same, except the administrator sends each person a personal message, effectively a private channel between the admin and the user. User messages arrive by POST to the callback address specified when the bot was created, and developer requests are authorised with the bot token in a header named token. There is a PHP library.
The second interface is sign-in with Gap: a site can let users in with their Gap account, for which you enable OAuth on one of your bots and obtain a client_id, with the bot token serving as the client_secret; in the sample response the access token's lifetime is 3600 seconds, after which it is refreshed via refresh_token. The 3600 is a value from the example, not a stated rule.
Limits and rules
- A phone number is required, the directory is by application. Registration is by mobile number only; the "Gap world" showcase goes through support and a manual review.
- Third-party advertising. Outside advertisers may build a user profile in order to decide which ads to show; the platform itself states that it does not build profiles.
- Data. Messages, photos, videos and documents from cloud chats are stored on the platform's servers, encryption keys are held across several data centres; numbers and names from your address book are saved, but syncing can be turned off.
Who it's for
A fit for projects with an Iranian audience that are ready to take payment inside the Iranian circuit: a shop, a subscription service, a developer of bots with paid features. The payment side here is stronger than in most messengers of this size: the wallet, the gateway, bills and in-app purchases are all covered in the documentation.
Not a fit if you need predictable rules and clear limits: the platform publicly names no limits, no rates and no content rules. Not a fit for international projects: the entire money side is the rial, Gapcy and Iranian mechanisms. And not a fit for anyone who wants to size the platform up by the numbers before joining: there are no numbers.
Verified data
The checked data this deep dive rests on.
About the platform
the platform describes itself this way: «پیام رسان گپ؛ یک مسنجر ایرانی مطابق با بروزترین فناوریهای جهان همراه با قابلیت کمنظیر ارائه سرویسهای ارزش افزوده به کاربران»
Self-description: this is the platform's claim about itself, not an independent assessment
source, checked 2026-07-28
the owner of the GapMessenger app and the gap.im domain is TS Information Technology Ltd (TSIT)
Named in the privacy policy
source, checked 2026-07-28
the platform calls itself a cloud communication service with extra features that international messengers do not have, plus a separate server-side environment for developers
The platform's claim about itself, not an independent assessment
source, checked 2026-07-28
on the date of the check the English version of the official blog ended with posts from 2019
The last post is dated 31.07.2019; a sign of materials that have long gone without updates
source, checked 2026-07-28
there is a brand style guide with a palette, typography, clear space around the logo and a list of unacceptable ways to use the mark; compliance is declared mandatory
The page carries a 2019 copyright notice
source, checked 2026-07-28
Getting started
registration by mobile number: a four-digit code by SMS, and if it is not delivered the code is dictated over a voice call
source, checked 2026-07-28
phone numbers are hidden from the other party, but if you have saved someone's number in your contacts and messaged them, your number becomes visible to them
source, checked 2026-07-28
Account and access
A compulsory check at registration: a mobile phone number and a 4-digit code. Verbatim from the FAQ: «Yes, for registering in Gap, you must enter your mobile/ cell number» and «After installing Gap, for activation, you should enter your mobile/cell number in the relevant box so that you get the 4-digit verification code via SMS. If you did not receive the text message, the code would be announced to you by a voice call». A separate condition for a channel to enter the Gap World catalogue: the channel must be active and publish useful material regularly every day, and the application is submitted through support and goes through a suitability check
The condition about the Gap World catalogue is set out in the FAQ in Persian: the channel must be فعال (active) and post بطور روزانه و منظم (daily and regularly), after which بعد از بررسی درصورت تأیید صلاحیت (after a check, if suitability is confirmed) it is added to the list. Gap names no numeric threshold of subscribers or posts
source, checked 2026-08-07
Business terms
the my.gap.im business centre claims more than nine tools: bot platform, storefronts, sticker sales, advertising system, accounting, payment through Gap, quiz builder, contest builder, gaming centre
The figure «more than nine» is the platform's own wording
source, checked 2026-07-28
you sign in to the developer panel with a one-time code sent to your registered number or by scanning a QR code from the app; no document or legal-entity check is mentioned
source, checked 2026-07-28
What you can publish
The limit on the size of an uploaded file depends on the kind of bot and on the method of sending (our translation): "ربات تعاملی" (an interactive bot) — "50 مگابایت", that is, 50 MB; "ربات اطلاع رسانی" (a notifying bot) when sending "فردی" (to one person) — 50 MB, when sending "گروهی" (as a mailing) — "500 مگابایت", that is, 500 MB. Error 500 is returned when "حجم فایل ارسالی و یا نوع آن معتبر نمیباشد" — the size or the kind of the file is not admissible. The documentation names no number of files per one request
our translation, the original is in Persian; the limit directly depends on the kind of bot and on whether this is a personal sending or a mailing
source, checked 2026-08-04
Text length. The developer documentation does not name limits on the length of text (a message, a caption, the description of a file): there is no number of characters for the text sending method or for the desc field when a file is uploaded. The only announced limits on volume relate to the game section: "Max size of data can not be more than 10KB", "Number of data type can not be more than 25", "max size of event value is 1KB", "max number of event is 25"
our translation, the original is in Persian and English; the limits of 10 KB and 1 KB are about game data, and not about the text of a message
source, checked 2026-08-04
Images. Only the recommended formats are set, without dimensions and file size (our translation): in the file upload table the "فرمت پیشنهادی" column (the recommended format) for the image field contains "jpg, png, jpeg". The documentation names neither a resolution, nor an aspect ratio, nor a maximum file size precisely for an image — the general upload limit applies, which depends on the kind of bot
our translation, the original is in Persian; the formats are called recommended ("پیشنهادی"), and not mandatory; the general file size limit is in the upload_limits row
source, checked 2026-08-04
Video. Only the recommended format is set (our translation): for the video field — "mp4 (h264 baseline)", that is, MP4 with the H.264 codec in the baseline profile. The documentation names neither a resolution, nor a frame rate, nor a bit rate, nor a separate file size limit for video
our translation, the original is in Persian; the codec is named in the column of recommended formats, and not as a requirement
source, checked 2026-08-04
Audio is divided into two kinds, and each has its own recommended format (our translation): the voice field (a voice message) — "ogg", the audio field (an audio file) — "mp3". The documentation sets neither a bit rate, nor a sampling rate, nor a duration
our translation, the original is in Persian; a voice message and an audio file are different kinds of attachment on this platform
source, checked 2026-08-04
Content
in a private channel or group only the owner can add members, in a public one any member can; only a public channel has a join link and appears in search
source, checked 2026-07-28
Promotion
getting into the «Gap world» showcase is by application through support and a manual review; the requirement is an active channel that publishes daily
There is no automatic entry into the directory
source, checked 2026-07-28
Advertising
the advertising system shows ads inside the messenger in text, image and video format; channel owners can earn from advertising
source, checked 2026-07-28
How the money works here
the ways of earning named: your own virtual store, uploading and selling stickers, advertising in your own channel, paid contests through the competition builder
source, checked 2026-07-28
Pricing
a wallet with transfers between users; Gapcy, the messenger's cryptocurrency, backed by the rial, on a blockchain; the pay.gap.im payment gateway; settlements in local currency, dollars and euros
The platform names no thresholds, commissions or payout terms
source, checked 2026-07-28
Legal
messages, photos, videos and documents from cloud chats are stored on the platform's servers, encryption keys are held across several data centres
source, checked 2026-07-28
third-party advertisers may build a user profile in order to show ads; the platform itself states that it does not build profiles
source, checked 2026-07-28
API access
three bot types: interactive (two-way), notification group (works like a channel, only the admin posts), notification individual (a personal message to each user)
KEY FACT for SMM: the bot type determines how broadcasting works
source, checked 2026-07-28
user messages arrive by POST to the callback address specified when the bot was created; developer requests are authorised with the bot token in a header named token
source, checked 2026-07-28
a bot sends and receives text, image, audio, video, voice message, file, contact, location, service action, bills, invoices and in-app purchases; there is a reply keyboard, an inline keyboard and form sending
source, checked 2026-07-28
there is an official PHP library
source, checked 2026-07-28
sign-in with Gap: OAuth is enabled on a bot, a client_id is issued, and the bot token serves as the client_secret; the exchange goes through login.gap.im
source, checked 2026-07-28
in the sample response the access token's lifetime is 3600 seconds, refreshed via refresh_token
3600 is a value from an EXAMPLE in the documentation, not a stated rule
source, checked 2026-07-28
Languages
the interface language of the home page: en
The language is taken from the markup attribute, the versions from hreflang
source, checked 2026-07-28
the app is translated into Persian, Arabic, Turkish and English
source, checked 2026-07-28
discrepancy with the database: facts.tsv records «home page interface language: en» from the markup attribute; the platform's help centre states that the app is translated into Persian, Arabic, Turkish and English, while the site switches between Persian, English and Arabic
Not a contradiction but different objects of measurement: the lang attribute of a single page against the stated set of app languages
source, checked 2026-07-28
Catalogue section: all similar See also: catalogue index · region: Iran · scheduler comparison · find by situation · platform restrictions