In today’s fast-paced world, messaging apps have become our go-to method of communication, allowing us to connect with our friends and loved ones anytime, anywhere. While Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are generally the most famous messaging apps out there, in countries such as Russia, Brazil, Germany and Malaysia, it’s actually Telegram Messenger that is the number one most popular social networking app in the iOS Apple Store. Telegram Messenger might be so popular in these areas because it claims to be the most secure messaging app available.
What is Telegram?
Looking for an online messaging app that’s just as good as WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger? Look no further than Telegram. This app lets you send messages to your friends when you’re connected to Wi-Fi or your mobile data, with video calls, group chats, and 20,000 stickers at your disposal.
Telegram is cloud-based and puts security and speed at the top of its priorities, making it a great choice for those looking for an alternative to other popular messaging apps. The service launched in 2013, and since then it has amassed 700 million active monthly users.
Distinctive features
Pavel Durov, the Russian entrepreneur known for being the brains behind Contacted (VK), the largest social network in Russia, has also founded טלגראס בוט – a messaging app that looks to marry the speed of WhatsApp with Snapchat’s ephemerality. Like WhatsApp, Telegram users can see when their contacts are online and share photos, videos, locations, contacts, and documents. Telegram’s security features are what set it apart from other messaging apps though. All chats, groups, and media shared between participants are encrypted end-to-end so that they can’t be seen without being decoded first.
The app features a “Secret Chat” function that allows you to set self-destruct timers on messages and media ranging from two seconds to one week. It also offers end-to-end encryption, so there’s no trace of your conversation left on Telegram’s servers. You can verify the security of your “Secret Chats” by comparing encryption keys with a friend. This helps to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
How to use it
Telegram is a messaging app that can be downloaded and installed like other similar apps from Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store – look for the paper airplane logo. After reading the welcome screen, you will be prompted to enter your phone number and then add your name and 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.
Telegram Premium
Telegram Premium was introduced in June of 2022 and offered users access to additional features not available to those who don’t subscribe, such as transcription of voice-to-text, 4GB file uploads, faster downloads, more stickers and no ads(a feature which had caused Telegram to fall short when compared to it’s competitor WhatsApp). All features that had existed prior to the subscription option remained free for non-premium members.