Telegram Intro

Hi there! If you're new to Telegram or would like to give it a try, this article will give you some direction. See also Telegrams own channel @TelegramTips or Teleblog on YouTube.

Telegram has a no-tracking for ads and no sharing data with third parties privacy policy. Also a history of protecting its users.

But the first thing to know about Telegram is: Chats aren't end to end encrypted by default. E2EE would ensure only you and the recipient can see your messages. No E2EE allows for certain Telegram features but for sure privacy you should tap on a persons profile, then the ' ⋮ ' or 'more' menu and 'start a secret chat'. Video Guide.

That said, Telegram has many great features and is usually ahead of the game. Have a look:

Personalisation: Make your own themes. Here's one I made (click to preview). Go to settings>chat settings>choose colour themes and/or click ' ⋮ ' - 'more' menu and select 'create new theme'. 

Groups and channels: Channels let you post updates to whoever subscribes and hold group chats with up to 200 000 people! Useful for public services like education announcements for example. Some groups are riddled with spam, but those with good admin and anti-spam bots work well. There are many types of groups, eg: @LightLifePhotoSA 👈 (click on the @ in Telegram to preview), @SAGroupsChannels, @ChannelCollection, YouTube channel chats➠@privateyourtech, software support groups➠@AuroraOSS, @CompLeetKeys, tutorials, meme groups, funny content, whatever your interest… Just search for Telegram groups in a browser or right in the app on the main page, by putting an '@' in front of your search word: @example.

Nifty tip: Tap on a group message to edit typos or copy a direct link to that message. PS I have a channel: @MyThoughts&Things

Bots, add functionality and services: @Stickerdownloadbot (download or make sticker packs) or @utubebot (download YouTube videos >see also newpipe), @youtube_subs_bot (subscribe to YouTube without an account) or @typerobot (change your font) etc. More useful bots. 

(Be aware that bots are run by the people who make them, not always Telegram. They can see what you type or send to them)

Stream or Download music and media, @LosslessRobot, @ShazamMusicChartsBot, @vkmusic_bot, @CoreRadio, @Rapzilla, @ChristianMetal, @yourcastbot, @dailysermons etc. Try searching for telegram groups or channels that share music of your favorite genre. 

Post Articles online: @telegraph. Make a webpage like this one and edit it if you need. You can even do it anonymously from a browser.

Great Stickers to express yourself with: @Stickers @sticker @TgSticker Tap on a sticker to save the pack and organise your packs in chat settings. Stickers are also suggested by emoji use.

Share files up to 2GВ (avoid storing private content on Telegrams 'saved messages' feature, as it's visible to Telegram, although the privacy policy is safe).

Crossplatform Messaging, message people on WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram and more all from one app. Link groups too, See: Matrix, Element One, Beeper, FreeMirror and Matterbridge.

Import chats from WhatsApp easily see guide here.

Organise your chats into folders from the app settings and have complete control over which groups can send what notifications, archive chats and long-press archive tab to hide it. Even have multiple accounts in one app or run Telegram on your PC only. Keep distractions at bay. 

Not Getting Notifications?: Make sure Telegram is ignored in your phones battery and data optimise settings and turn on background sync/data… see this video guide or this website. Re-installing on iphone also helps as a last resort.

◼️ Privacy? 

(NB) While Telegram has a good reputation and privacy policy, it's important to know: 

• 'End to end encryption' (E2EE) would ensure only you and the recipient and no server in between can see the content/messages you send. Telegram group chats are not E2EE. This means that Telegram can see group messages. Although most groups are designed in such a way as to be public and allow anyone to join, so in that case E2EE is a bit redundant. But this means you can't have guaranteed private group chats, even if you make a non public group chat. Not using group E2EE allows for certain features and performance in Telegram but be aware of what you say. 
• Personal chats aren't E2EE by default so. NB: For your chats to have E2EE you should tap on a persons profile, then the ' ⋮ ' or 'more' menu and 'start a secret chat'. Then forward/back up and delete any old non-secret chat. You only have to do this once per person, per device, but it's worth it for guaranteed privacy. Note that secret chats aren't synced across devices and the ΡС or web app won't receive secret chats, nor will notifications show your message details. The only way to back up secret chats when changing phones is to copy and paste.
• Chats can auto-delete. To enable, open the ⋮ menu in the chat list > choose Clear History > Enable Auto-Delete or for secret chats 'set self-destruct timer'.
  

Download or Fdroid Download

More Privacy:

• There is Google code in the PlayStore app, used to process notifications. This doesn't really compromise your message content, but may let Google see who you are messaging when. However you can avoid this by installing custom telegram clients @OpenSourceTelegram or @Nekogram. Note, it may use a bit more battery charge but adds some nice privacy and features.
• It is highly advised to turn on 2 step verification for account security.
• In privacy and security settings under passcode lock, in android you can un-check 'Show app content in task switcher'. This will prevent apps with access to your screen from reading your messages.
• The app does work with no permissions to your phone content if you want more privacy. Deny  file storage and then simply share files directly from your phone apps to Telegram. Tap share from your gallery for example or map app, choose Telegram and it should share without storage or location permissions. On that point: Android users If your device storage is low, you can manage Telegrams stored data in the app settings and choose to store on your SD card.
• Now, It's no use using a private chat app if your keyboard can spy on your every word, consider changing your keyboard app as this video explains.

Alternatives? Simply considering Telegrams lack of default E2EE, it would be better to use Signal Messenger: easy, super private and clean. Same feel as WhatsApp.  Or Element: a new type of private messaging protocol, feature rich like Telegram, with community run servers (messaging run and owned by you). They are better for complete privacy. But perhaps try keep the popular Signal and Telegram apps for a while and see what sticks. Try out Element for fun or more - alternatives.

Delete WhatsApp?:

WhatsApp has stated in their privacy policy, that third party services can access our messages when we use the chat back up feature. Even if you turn this off, other peoples backups will expose your chats. These chats are also stored unencrypted on your phone, where any app with storage access could access them. Facebook has a history of shady behavior and have created a false impression of privacy on WhatsApp. They also use device identifiers and info on who you message when to build profile on you and link it to your other online profiles. This has been happening for a long time already and has many ethical implications. For an app that carries 90% of our personal conversations, this is unacceptable.

Society needs better safer alternatives and this may be the only time, that moving off WhatsApp could be possible for the masses. You could get a separate WhatsApp number/phone for business if needed but there is no better time to make a change. Remember to delete your WhatsApp account, don't just uninstall.

To back up chats you can open WhatsApp Web and copy paste important messages or on Android you can copy the back up files to your PC or use this easy method to transfer your chats to Telegram if you need to, but starting with a clean slate is suggested. If you must use WhatsApp, at least turn off chat backup for the privacy of others. For more, see my article Why Leave WhatsApp. There's also some guidance in that article to making WhatsApp more private.

Conclusion: All considered, Telegram has a decent privacy policy and its code is open source, meaning it can be seen, audited and improved by anyone. They also have a history of protecting users against government surveillance: see the product managers channel @durov, here he answers some privacy questions. Telegram often advocates for privacy and equality, their service is funded by donations and the founders own funds from other business and by paid premium features for businesses in order to support Telegrams growth. Businesses will also be able to serve privacy respecting non-intrusive ads on public channels but not in private chats. Telegram runs on their own distributed servers, ensuring they keep data safe from 3rd parties. In any scenario it's better than Facebook privacy. Just be aware of the E2EE limitations and give Signal a try.

Have a look through the app settings for more and learn more about online privacy here: Techlore on YouTube or @PrivateYourTech

Feel free to ask questions and enjoy… see you on Signal maybe?

Last Updated: March 2022