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Dozens of stickers now have impressive full-screen animations, which Premium users can send in any chat to add extra emotion and expressive effects that are visible for all users. This premium sticker collection will be updated monthly by Telegram artists. Boo! Check out the new and upcoming Halloween/horror streaming shows and movies Join Requests for Public Groups

That’s far from saying Telegram will protect you from all privacy terrors the online world presents — you should check out our Android privacy guide for a broader look at that. Telegram just offers a good marriage of popularity and security for those with concerns over other messaging apps. All usernames on Telegram have their own t.me/username links, making it easy to share public profile, group or channel anywhere on the internet. Every username will now have a new unique link format – username.t.me – for those who want to emphasize their name (or have trouble finding the / key). If you do not want this to happen and want Telegram to keep running in the background to send you notifications in real-time, you can head over to Settings/ Notifications and Sounds/ Keep Alive Service and turn it on. Telegram gives you an option where you can select who can see your last seen time. To configure this, go to “Settings”, “Privacy and Security” and then tap on “Last Seen & Online”. You can share it with everybody, or people in your contact list, or nobody, or add exceptions like “never share with” XYZ.

For maximum privacy, you can create secret chats that use end-to-end encryption. These aren't stored on Telegram's servers, so you can only access them with your specific phone. If one party deletes a message, it disappears on both devices. And you can specify a self-destruct period for all media if you like. One of the things that I love about Telegram is that the service gives me an easy way to change my phone number attached to my account without making me lose all my previous chats. If you also want to switch your Telegram number, it’s pretty easy to do. First, tap on Settings and then tap on your mobile number. Another security feature that adds usability is usernames. Instead of giving people your phone number, you can simply give them your username. This gives you better control over what information is out there, and how people can contact you in the future. On the same page, Telegram also lists one of its two tenets of internet privacy as “protecting your personal data from third parties, such as marketers, advertisers, etc.” That puts it in stark contrast to a myriad of services from Facebook, Google, Amazon, and others.

Disclosure: Our website is reader-supported. If you purchase any service through our partner links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The profile videos of premium users will animate for everyone throughout the app – including in chats and the chat list. Let everyone see your new look, or flex your creativity with a unique looping animation.