8 Telegram Privacy Settings You Should Enable Immediately
Telegram is one of the world’s most popular messaging apps, but many of its privacy features, such as end-to-end encrypted chats, aren’t actually enabled by default. Not only are these features a little hidden, but there are also ways to control what personal information of yours Telegram users can see, such as old profile pictures. If you use Telegram regularly, you should definitely check out these eight privacy features.
Use secret chats for privacy
Unlike apps like Signal and WhatsApp , Telegram chats aren’t end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning your chats aren’t truly private right out of the box. However, Telegram has a Secret Chats feature that is protected by end-to-end encryption.
You can enable encryption by opening any chat in Telegram, tapping the contact name > three dots icon > Start secret chat . Your contact will receive a request for a secret chat, and once he approves it, both of you will become confidential.
Telegram’s secret chat feature has some inconveniences, the biggest of which is that it doesn’t work on all devices. In other words, you will be able to launch these chats from your phone, but you will not be able to launch them from the Telegram desktop apps. Secret chats are also device specific, meaning that if you start a chat on your iPhone, you won’t be able to see it on your Android.
Hide date of birth
If you’ve added your birthday to your Telegram profile, you can hide it from people who don’t need to see it. Open Telegram Settings > Date of Birth > Nobody .
Add password lock
Finally, you can protect your Telegram chats from prying eyes by setting up a password lock in the app. Visit Telegram Settings > Privacy & Security > Passcode .
Deleting contacts stored on Telegram servers
You can use Telegram without giving it access to your address book. If you have previously given Telegram access to your contacts, you can also easily delete all your contacts from Telegram servers. This will leave the usernames and phone numbers in your chat list instead of the names stored in your contacts list. This makes it harder to tell who you’re writing to, but for some people the trade-off is worth it for better privacy.
This can be done by going to Telegram Settings > Privacy & Security > Data Settings > Delete Synced Contacts .
Hide your phone number
You can also hide your phone number from everyone on Telegram. Go to Telegram Settings > Privacy & Security > Phone Number . Select “Nobody” to hide your number from everyone.
Don’t let people call you or add you to groups
Telegram calls are a good alternative to regular phone calls, but if you don’t want to use the app’s calling features, you can turn them off. Visit Telegram Settings > Privacy & Security > Calls and select Nobody . You can also prevent strangers from adding you to Telegram groups by going to Telegram Settings > Privacy & Security > Invitations and selecting My Contacts .
Remove links to your account in forwarded messages.
If someone forwards one of your messages to other users on Telegram, the app adds a link to your profile along with the forwarded message. To prevent this from happening, go to Telegram Settings > Privacy and Security > Forwarded Messages . Select None from this list to remove the link. Your name will still be attached to forwarded messages, but you can update your Telegram bio to change your name to initials or a nickname for more privacy.
Delete your old profile photos (or hide them from others)
Every profile picture you’ve ever uploaded to Telegram is stored on your profile, and anyone can go to your profile and view it. If you want to avoid this, tap your Telegram profile picture and click Edit . Swipe right to view all your old photos.
On iPhone, delete these photos by clicking the trash can icon in the bottom right corner of the page. On Android, tap the three dots in the top right corner and select Delete . While you’re at it, you can also hide your profile picture from others. Go to Telegram Settings > Privacy & Security > Profile Photo . Select My Contacts on the next page.