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Telegram’s core functionality is the same as most other messaging apps: You can message other Telegram users, create group conversations, call contacts, make video calls, and send files and stickers. However, there are a few specific features that make it work differently from other chat apps. If you want to send big files, Telegram has much of the competition beat with support for up to 2GB files. Meanwhile, WhatsApp’s limit is a measly 100MB, WeChat’s limit is also 100MB, and Skype’s limit is 300MB. Telegram files are also stored in the cloud, so you can access them from other devices. delete sender's message

To make such a group or find people near you, swipe right on the homepage, tap on “Contacts”, and then tap on “Find People Nearby”. You will see a list of nearby people and groups sorted by distance. To create a username, go to “Settings” and tap “Username” under the account section. There is also a “Bio” option, where you can add a few lines about yourself. Anyone who opens your profile will see this text. To start a Secret Chat, you can either tap on the option in the hamburger menu and select a contact to start the chat. Alternatively, you can go to an existing chat, tap on the top bar for the user’s information and scroll down to find the “Start Secret Chat” option at the very bottom of the page. Once you tap on the option, the other person will have to accept your invitation to initiate the Secret Chat. However, if you haven't moved beyond the basics, you're missing out on a lot of the best Telegram functionality. Below, we detail some lesser-known features of Telegram that you may have overlooked until now.

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. Turn on Secret Chat Telegram bots are nothing but regular telegram accounts, which can be coded and used to add more features to enhance user experience. You can find these bots from the top search bar on the homepage. For example, A recently introduced feature, Telegram’s new Group Voice Chats allow users in a group to initiate a common group voice chat for all members. However, users can choose to drop out of the ongoing group chat and re-enter at any given point. To make use of this, head into any group of choice and tap on the group name. Now head to the three-dot menu on the top right and choose Start Voice Chat.

Read also: WhatsApp vs Telegram vs Signal: Which messaging app should you use? Telegram lacks the Stories feature of some competing messaging apps which lets you post images or short videos without messaging a contact directly. Admittedly it isn’t an essential feature for most people.