Telegram allows us more privacy than other similar applications. Unlike WhatsApp, they can talk to you without having to have your phone number registered on the mobile, through a username. But you can also configure privacy in Telegram to eliminate the last connection time, for example, or allow other contacts not to see your profile picture if you do not know them.
You can easily adjust privacy in Telegram and it has all kinds of options that we can customize according to what we need, depending on how we are going to use the application. As in WhatsApp, you can remove the time of the last time connected but you can also block them from seeing if you are online or not.
Messages that self-destruct
Telegram has an important function that improves privacy, beyond configuring the available settings, and is that of secret chats or messages that self-destruct. If WhatsApp allows us to delete a sent message (Telegram too) in this case we have the option of having them delete themselves without us having to touch one by one. With this we get that if we talk to someone the messages disappear only a few seconds later. In addition, it has other very interesting features:
- They use end-to-end encryption
- They leave no trace on the server
- They have message self-destruction
- Prevent forwarding messages
- Can't take screenshot
To access these chats we simply have to open a specific conversation from the mobile:
- Open Telegram
- Tap on the pencil in the lower right corner to create a conversation
- Choose the option «New secret chat»
- Choose the contact you want to have the conversation with
Self destruct time
A chat will open in which you will not be able to take a screenshot and the messages will self-destruct. To configure them, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner and go to "Configure self-destruction". Choose how often you want messages to be automatically deleted:
- Off
- 1 second - 30 seconds (you choose the interval you want)
- 1 minute
- 1 hour
- 1 day
- 1 week
You will not have to be aware and they will automatically disappear without a trace.
Username
Telegram does not need to have your phone number to talk to you or to add you to groups. You don't have to have a username and it will just make sense if you want to be found or not have your number. If you don't care, you can continue doing it as in WhatsApp: give your number.
Basically you can have an alias or username and they can search for you through this publicly in the Telegram search engine. Once you have it, in addition, you can give people a link in which your username will be written and by opening that link on their mobile they can automatically start a conversation with you on Telegram and you can talk to them as if you had their number. But without giving your number. This will significantly improve privacy and security because it will be enough to delete or block them and they will not be able to contact you or call you or send you messages through other applications.
Even if they write to you and you reply, even if you have a conversation, Telegram will never show your phone number to that person unless you do it yourself. You can choose the username by following a few simple steps:
- Open your Telegram application
- Go to the three lines in the upper left corner
- Tap on "Settings"
- You will see "Username" in the " Account" section
- Tap on this option
- Enter your username
- Confirm and save
To delete the username, you will simply have to follow these steps and leave the space empty. It will not alter your existing conversations and they will not be deleted.
Last time and online
Beyond not knowing your number, you can also modify the privacy settings in Telegram so that you do not know whether or not you are online, for example.
- Go to your Telegram application
- Tap on the three lines in the upper left corner
- Look for the section "Privacy and security"
Here you will see seven different options:
- Blocked
- Phone number
- Last time and online
- Profile picture
- Forwarded messages
- Calls
- Groups and channels
Choose "Last time and online"
You will see three options
- Everyone
- My contacts
- No one
Choose the one you want depending on whether you want the whole world to see you online or know what time you have connected or mark "My contacts" if you want only the people you have in your phone book to know. You can also block it so no one can see it. Keep in mind that you will also not see the last time or online status in people who do not see you as you have configured it. Yes you will see something approximate of the type "a few days ago" or "a few weeks ago"
One of the advantages of the privacy settings in Telegram compared to WhatsApp is that we can choose specific users with whom not to share.
Follow the steps above
- Tap on "Add exceptions"
- Click on "Do not share with ..."
- Add users from your calendar
These people won't see your last hour or online connection.
Profile picture
You can also choose to have your profile photo seen by your contacts or everyone.
- Open Telegram
- Tap on the three lines in the upper left corner
- Go to Settings
- Open the Privacy and security section
- Tap on Profile Picture
- Choose
- Everyone
- My contacts
- Add exceptions
- Add users ...
- Choose the people from your agenda that you want to add
Groups and channels
Telegram groups differ from channels in that in these you can write as one more but the channels consist in that you can read information posted by the creator or administrators. You can join either one or the other through a link, but the creator could also add you. Unless you block it from the privacy settings of the application.
- Open Telegram
- Tap on the three lines in the upper left corner
- Go to Settings
- Tap on Privacy and security
- Open the section "Groups and channels"
- Choose who can add you
- Everyone
- My contacts
- Add exceptions to the general rule
Other security options
Beyond the above, following the same steps you will find other security options that will help us have better privacy. For example, from here we can choose who can make calls and who can add a link to your account when forwarding messages, adding exceptions or not. You will find these two options in the same way as the previous ones: from the "Privacy and security" section and touching on the different groups and subsections.
Active sessions
Beyond what you will see among the privacy options and that protect you from your contacts or from what they can do or see, there are other Telegram options that will improve your security with the application. How to close all active sessions or check where a session has been opened, on which devices and when, from what IP, etc. You can consult them, delete them and close all sessions in case you have been able to leave an account open on your work computer, at the university, etc.
- Tap on the three lines in the upper left corner
- Open Settings in the options menu
- Tap on the "privacy and security" section
- Scroll to the bottom
- Tap on "Active sessions"
- You will see the current session and all active sessions
- Application used / Web version
- Phone / Computer
- IP adress
- Location
- Date of connection
- Tap on "Close all other sessions"
Delete my account if I am out
Another advantage of Telegram is that your account will self-destruct after a while if you have not used it. If you are not there at least once during the chosen period, the account will be deleted and also all your chats and all your contacts. It is useful in case you have lost your mobile phone or have simply uninstalled the application and do not want your conversations to continue there even if you do not use them.
- Open Telegram
- Tap on the three lines in the upper left corner
- Go to Privacy and security
- Tap on
- Delete my account if I am out
- Choose how long you want it to take to be deleted
- One month
- Three months
- Six months
- One year
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