Telegram is a cloud-based messaging app developed by Russian entrepreneurs and brothers Nikolai Durov and Pavel Durov. Although its founders are Russian, the company is registered in both the US and the UK.
The messaging app reached 200 million monthly active users in March 2018, offering secret chats that are encrypted as well as other popular features such as stickers, bots, and the ability to store messages in the cloud so that they can be accessed on any user’s device.
What’s so special about Telegram?
Telegram’s messaging service is popular because it offers a “Secret Chat” function encrypted with Telegram’s proprietary MTProto Protocol
What makes Telegram unique is its focus on privacy, encryption, and an open-source API. There are countless unofficial clients to go along with the official Telegram apps and web interface. It also allows multiple devices to use the same account (verified by SMS), and multiple accounts on the same device
Are Telegram messages secure?
Unlike regular messages, secret chats are not cloud-based and can only be accessed on the device used. Encryption keys are also exchanged when a secret chat is initiated, therefore securing the messages sent. Messages in these secret chats can also be deleted at any time, and can be set to “self-destruct” after a set time.
In general, Telegram is as safe or safer than most other chat apps. It could be argued that WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption on all messaging is a better approach, but the company’s ties to Facebook may turn off privacy advocates.
Plus, if you’re using the “secret chats” feature, you’re getting the same level of end-to-end encryption. On top of this, users can’t forward or screenshot messages in secret chats, and messages can be programmed to self-destruct. Deleting a message also deletes it for everyone on the service, and users have the option to delete not just their own messages, but other users’ messages, too. It’s also worth mentioning that all chats are encrypted, even if not end-to-end encrypted.
How to use it
Telegram can be used and installed just like other messaging apps. You can download it from Apple’s App Store or from Google’s Play Store – look for the paper airplane logo. After flipping through the welcome screen, you’ll be prompted to enter your phone number and then add your name and a picture. The next step is to find friends and start a chat.
The app can be used on smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktop computers. Telegram is available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, Windows NT, macOS and Linux.
Are you using Telegram, and do you have any questions about the app that you’d like addressed? Let us know in the comments below.
