What methods have worked best for you to reduce or block bot joins without making it difficult for genuine members to participate?
I’ve had the same problem with public groups. The thing that worked best for me was adding a verification step for new members and limiting what fresh accounts can do right after joining. Full manual approval is clean, but it gets annoying when the group starts growing. I also noticed most spam bots don’t bother if there’s even a small extra step, while real users usually don’t mind clicking a button or passing a quick check. The goal is just adding enough friction without making normal people feel like they’re signing up for a bank account.
Verification definitely helps, but have you found a balance that blocks bots while keeping the onboarding process quick for legitimate members?
There is no balance in my opinion. If you don't want bots you put verification. If you don't put verification the bots will join and possible ruin your TG group.
One thing I'd recommend is using a Telegram moderation bot instead of relying only on admins to remove spam accounts manually. A good anti-spam bot can automatically detect suspicious activity, block repeated links, filter unwanted messages, and restrict new members who start posting too quickly. I'd also turn on join requests if the group doesn't need completely open access. That gives admins a chance to check who's joining. Another useful trick is setting a short verification step for new members, such as a CAPTCHA, before allowing them to send messages. I'd be careful not to make the rules too strict, though. You don't want genuine new members struggling just to participate. It's also worth limiting links and media for brand-new accounts until they've been in the group for a while. In my opinion, the best setup is a combination of automated moderation, sensible joining restrictions, and active admins. No single bot catches everything, so having a few layers of protection makes a big difference.