Radio Relax

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. Cons of switching Table of Contents

Another great option in groups or channels is being able to pin messages. Tap a message and choose Pin to keep it at the top of the chat, where everyone can easily reference it. When multiple users share their live location within a group, they’re displayed on an interactive map. To use this feature, choose “location” from the attachment menu and tap on “Share my location for…” Under the App Icon section, you should see a handful of pre-defined app icons such as Aqua, Sunset, Mono Black, Classic, Classic Black, Filled, and Filled Black. Now, choose a suitable app icon and you are all set! Unlike mass-market messengers like WhatsApp and Line, Telegram is an open-source app. This means anyone can check the app’s source code, protocol, API, and see how it works and make an informed decision.

So you want to quickly send a GIF or a YouTube link without leaving the Telegram app? Just type @gif or @youtube and enter your search query. Instantly, you will find the desired results in the chat screen itself. That’s absolutely great and we love to see this kind of deep third-party integration with popular services. To create a poll in a channel or group, simply select the “Poll” option in the attachment menu. Type in your question, add answer options and choose the configurations that fit your purpose best. 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. Depending on what Android skin your phone uses and how much RAM you are usually left with to spare, Android’s algorithms may close Telegram and other apps in the background, delaying your new message notifications till when you open the app again manually.

Now, tap If Inactive For at the bottom of the screen and choose a preferred option like 1 week or 1 month in the popup menu. To lock your messages, go to “Settings”, “Privacy and Security” and tap on “Passcode Lock”. You will be asked to set a four-digit passcode and confirm it. Once you do that, you will find additional options to “unlock the app with fingerprint” and “auto-lock” it after a specific duration.