This enables the building of clients for non-traditional platforms like KaiOS (supported by Telekram), or S30+/Mocor Feature phones (still in development). The protocol was developed by Nikolai Durov and other developers at Telegram and, as of version 2.0, is based on 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption and Diffie–Hellman key exchange. Telegram stated that it does not have access to the data, while the platform will share the information only with the authorized recipient. When an online service requires such identification documents and verification, it forwards the information to the platform with the user’s permission. It asks users to upload their own official documents such as passport, identity card, driver license, etc. It features a website widget that could be embedded into websites, allowing users to sign into a third party website with their Telegram account.
The optional paid subscription gives users increased limits in the app, such as larger file uploads, faster download speeds, unlimited voice message transcription, as well as numerous other increases such as the number of pinned chats and folders. While any user can upload custom emoji to the platform, the use of custom emoji in chats is only available to users with Telegram Premium. In October 2024, Telegram added increased messaging limits for bots, allowing bots to send up to 1000 messages per second to their users. In the same menu, users can restrict the circle of people who can call them or invite them to groups and channels, while Premium users also have the option to restrict who can send them text and voice messages. In channels, users can start a livestream, that is able to integrate with third-party apps such as OBS Studio and XSplit.
Users with a Telegram Premium subscription have a number of “boosts” that they can give to channels, which allow the channel to “level up” and unlock features, such as the ability to customize messages or post stories as the channel. When forwarded, polls retain the answer data and any votes cast in other chats will count toward the overall total. Users can freely join public chats and find them using the in-app search function, while private chats require an invitation. Groups are large multi-user chats that support up to 200,000 members and can be public or private. Secret Chats restrict screenshotting by Android devices and warn when one is taken on an iOS device, while also hiding the chat contents from the final image. Telegram messages in private chats can be edited for up to 48 hours; an “edited” icon indicates changes.
About this app
Similar to other social platforms, Telegram users can post stories, a type of short-form content. In June 2021, an update introduced a new bot menu where users can browse and send commands while in a chat with a bot. Bots are also commonly used for businesses to communicate with customers as the bot APIs integrate with communication platforms so that Telegram messages can be sent and received in an omnichannelinbox. Certain approved bots are also able to integrate into the attachment menu, making them accessible in any chat. Auto download settings can also be applied based on chat type such as group, channel or private. Similarly, users can hide their phone number and profile photo from people based on categories such as Non-Contacts or by adding exceptions.
Unlike the Telegram Desktop app, which requires setup, storage space, and device pairing, the web version functions immediately. While it started as a basic backup tool, it has evolved into a complete platform that mirrors the core experience of the mobile and desktop applications. Telegram Web Login allows users to access their Telegram account through any modern web browser. Over the past few months, I’ve tested Telegram Web login across multiple browsers and devices, including isolated browser sessions using DICloak.
Russian use for destabilization activities
Throughout 2020, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps used groups and channels to dox Iraqi and Iranian citizens, while sharing propagandistic posts on the platform. Following efforts by Telegram to remove ISIS-related content from the platform, the terrorist organization reportedly moved its recruitment groups to the dark web, with US officials citing the app’s purging of terrorist content as particularly effective at deplatforming ISIS. In September 2024, Telegram announced that it would begin to hand over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities who have search warrants or other valid legal requests. Durov planned to power TON with the existing Telegram user base, and turn it into the largest blockchain and a platform for apps and services akin to a decentralized WeChat, Google Play, and App Store. Telegram has stated that the company will never serve advertisements in private chats. Telegram also offers an API that allows developers to create bots, which are accounts controlled by programs.
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Specific users can be tagged in the group by adding @username to a message, where “username” is that particular user’s username. Ownership of channels and groups can be transferred to one of the admins if the owner wishes to give up their rights. They support flexible admin rights and can use bots for moderation to prevent spam and unwanted activity. Any user can also send a message to a special “Saved Messages” chat as a form of bookmarking them.
Related platforms
An August 2024 BBC investigation found that Telegram had not responded to requests to join the US–based National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or the UK–based Internet Watch Foundation, both nonprofit NGOs. North Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski and Prime Minister Zoran Zaev demanded an immediate response from Telegram and threatened to completely restrict access to the app in the country if no action Kiekka Casino was taken. British far-right publication TR.news, following multiple deplatformings, launched a Telegram channel to spread its posts and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue reported that Irish far-right groups grew substantially between 2019 and 2020.
- Telegram’s default chat function received a score of 4 out of 7 points on the scorecard.
- Pavel Durov has said that Telegram users in “troubled countries” should enable two-factor authentication by creating passwords in order to prevent this.
- There is a distributed network of data centers through which messages are sent, so delivery is almost instant, even between devices.
- A few days later, following repeated criticism, the same judge suspended his order until the police issue a report on the consequences this measure would have for users.
- These are preferred by users with special needs of extra-sensitive communications, as their messages do not go out of the device.
- The gateway sends users’ Telegram name, username, and profile picture to the website owner, while users’ phone number remains hidden.
- They can respond to messages or mentions directly or can be invited into groups, and are able to perform tasks, integrate with other programs and host mini apps.
The most common mode of fraud involves scammers sending messages to unsuspecting users, offering part-time online jobs that comprise a series of tasks. It is estimated that the bot contains data from 26 million Ukrainians registered in the Diia application. Volodymyr Flents, the chairman of the public organization “Electronic Democracy”, announced on 11 May 2020 that a Telegram bot appeared on the Web, which sold the personal data of Ukrainian citizens. In response, Telegram said that it “proactively moderates harmful content on its platform including child abuse material” and that its moderation is “within industry standards and constantly improving”. The company has a verified channel called “Stop Child Abuse”, where daily statistics on the number of groups and channels banned for sharing illegal materials are posted. Twelve days later, Telegram told its users that the Brazilian Congressional Bill No. 2630 against online disinformation, which was about to be approved, would end freedom of speech in the country.
On 30 March 2020, an Elasticsearch database holding 42 million records containing user IDs and phone numbers of Iranian users was exposed online without a password. They criticized how, unless modified first, the default general security model stores all contacts, messages and media together with their decryption keys on its servers continuously; and that it does not enable end-to-end encryption for messages by default. Along with the shared photographs, anonymous accounts shared the women’s private information, including phone numbers and social media profiles, encouraging members of the group to contact the women and ask for sexual favors.
On 9 June 2019, The Intercept released leaked Telegram messages exchanged between current Brazilian Minister of Justice and former judge Sérgio Moro and federal prosecutors. MTProto 2.0 is seen by qualified cryptographers as a vast improvement to Telegram’s security. The Telegram team responded that the flaw does not affect message security and that “a future patch would address the concern”. Nevertheless, they said they saw “no reason why Telegram should use a less secure encryption scheme when more secure (and at least as efficient) solutions exist”. In December 2015, two researchers from Aarhus University published a report in which they demonstrated that MTProto 1.0 did not achieve indistinguishability under chosen-ciphertext attack (IND-CCA) or authenticated encryption. The EFF said that the results “should not be read as endorsements of individual tools or guarantees of their security”, and that they were merely indications that the projects were “on the right track”.
Telegram has public APIs with which developers can access the same functionality as Telegram’s official apps to build their own instant messaging applications. It is automatically updated and will most likely get new versions faster than the apps in the Play Store and App Store. The built-in media viewer supports common media formats – JPEG, PNG, WebP for images and H.264 and HEVC in videos in MP4 container and MP3, FLAC, Vorbis, Opus and AAC for audio. Telegram has various client apps, some developed by Telegram Messenger LLP and some by the community.
Once launched, a group voice chat will remain active and open to all group members until an admin specifically closes it. In December 2019, Bloomberg News moved their messenger-based newsletter service from WhatsApp to Telegram after the former banned bulk and automated messaging. Channels offer detailed statistics on view counts, user growth and interactions, also visible only to admins. Posting in the channel is anonymous, though admins can choose to add signatures to their posts. Secret Chats support perfect forward secrecy and switch encryption keys after a key has been used 100 times or a week has passed.
Following the launch of Stars, Telegram released several updates to their functionality, such as allowing Stars to be used to unlock media in channels or to buy gifts for other users. In late 2020, Durov announced that the company was working on its own ad platform, and would integrate non-targeted ads in public one-to-many channels, that already were selling and displaying ads in the form of regular messages. Such bots are used, among other things, to emulate and play old games in the app and inform users about vaccine availability for COVID-19. For users who signed in from the European Economic Area (EEA) or United Kingdom, the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) are supported by storing data only on servers in the Netherlands, and designating a London-based company as their responsible data controller. Premium users have access to extra stickers, emoji, reactions, and customization features like a special badge and the ability to change the look of their messages in chats.
- Hundreds of pages of a group chat between Rosselló and members of his staff were leaked.
- It gave me fast access to chats and uninterrupted group management without needing to install anything.
- Durov said the bond sale “will further solidify our position as an independent platform that is able to challenge the ‘Goliaths’ of our industry”.
- The order came following a complaint from media organizations —Mediaset, Atresmedia and Movistar Plus+— saying the app allowed users to share copyrighted content without their consent.
- The gateway sends the user’s Telegram name, username, and profile picture to the website owner, while the user’s phone number remains hidden.
- The revenue of these advertisements is shared with the channel owner in form of Telegram’s Toncoin crypto currency.
Less known is Olvid, which replaces the phone number with its identity scheme. Signal is ad-free, does not collect or track data, and is practically non-communal in its functionality, as it is used primarily as a means of one-on-one conversations. Its open-source code welcomes the level of transparency, and the application is a strong tool to engage in encrypted messaging, calling, and file sharing with a more limited group. Telegram open APIs have allowed developers to create their own applications, meaning that the ecosystem is not tied to a particular official client. Telegram also allows you to have several accounts on a single client, which may be helpful when you do not want your personal and business communication to be mixed.