✦ Version 11.6

Telegram –
a new era of messaging

Fast. Secure. Powerful.
The messaging platform that puts your privacy first.

⬇ Download for Mobile ⌨ Desktop Apps 🌐 Web App

Why Telegram?

Nine pillars that make Telegram the world's most trusted messaging platform.

📱

Simple

Telegram is so simple you already know how to use it. No learning curve, just pure messaging.

🔒

Private

Messages are heavily encrypted and can self-destruct. Your conversations stay yours.

☁️

Synced

Access your chats from multiple devices simultaneously. Your data follows you everywhere.

⚡

Fast

Telegram delivers messages faster than any other application. Speed is in our DNA.

🚀

Powerful

No limits on media size or chat capacity. Send files up to 2GB and create groups with 200K+ members.

🔓

Open

Open API and source code free for everyone. Build bots, apps, and integrations.

🛡️

Secure

Your messages are safe from hacker attacks with state-of-the-art encryption protocols.

👥

Social

Groups can hold up to 200,000 members. Channels broadcast to unlimited audiences.

🎨

Expressive

Completely customize your messenger with themes, stickers, GIFs, and animated emoji.

Download Telegram

Available on every platform you use. One account, all devices.

🍎
iOS
iPhone & iPad
 🤖
Android
Phone & Tablet
 💻
macOS
Native App
 🪟
Windows
Desktop App
 🐧
Linux
Desktop App
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Web
Browser App

For Developers & Press

Build on Telegram or get the brand assets you need.

📘
API Documentation
Build bots and integrations
 📂
Open Source
View our code on GitHub
 🏷️
Brand Assets
Logos, screenshots & more
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Press Kit
Media resources & contacts

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Telegram — answered in clear, step-by-step guides.

🔐 How does Telegram protect my privacy?
1 End-to-End Encryption: All messages, media, and files are encrypted with end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only you and the recipient can read them. Telegram uses the MTProto protocol, which is designed for speed and security.
2 Self-Destructing Messages: You can set messages to self-destruct after a certain time — from seconds to days. Once the timer runs out, the message is permanently deleted from both devices with no trace left behind.
3 Secret Chats: Secret Chats use client-to-client encryption and are not stored on Telegram servers. They are device-specific and cannot be accessed from other devices, providing an extra layer of privacy for sensitive conversations.
4 Two-Step Verification: Add an additional layer of security with a password that is required to log in to your account. This protects your account even if your SMS verification code is intercepted by an attacker.
5 Distributed Data Storage: Telegram stores data in a distributed network of data centers around the world, ensuring your data is safe, redundant, and accessible from anywhere with minimal latency.
6 Granular Privacy Settings: You have full control over your privacy settings, including who can see your phone number, profile photo, last seen status, and more. You can also block users and manage your active sessions.
7 Open Source Auditing: Telegram's client code is open source, allowing security experts and researchers worldwide to audit the code for vulnerabilities, ensuring transparency and continuous improvement of security practices.
✨ What makes Telegram unique compared to other messaging apps?
1 Cloud Sync & Multi-Device: Your messages are synced across all your devices in real-time. You can seamlessly switch from your phone to your tablet or desktop and pick up conversations exactly where you left off.
2 Massive File Transfers: Send files up to 2GB each — far larger than any competing platform. Share high-quality videos, large documents, and complete software packages without compression or quality loss.
3 Channels for Broadcasting: Broadcast messages to unlimited audiences with Telegram Channels. Perfect for public figures, organizations, news outlets, and content creators to reach millions of subscribers.
4 Powerful Bot Ecosystem: Create and use bots for everything from news updates and weather forecasts to games and productivity tools. The Bot API is free and open to all developers with comprehensive documentation.
5 Complete Customization: Personalize your Telegram experience with custom themes, colors, backgrounds, and animated emoji. You can even create and share your own sticker packs with the community.
6 Rich Media & Expressive Tools: Express yourself with a vast library of stickers, GIFs, and animated emoji. Create polls, quizzes, and interactive messages to engage your friends and groups in creative ways.
7 Secure Voice & Video Calls: Make high-quality voice and video calls with end-to-end encryption. Your conversations remain private and secure, with crystal-clear audio and video quality even on slower networks.
🚀 How do I get started with Telegram?
1 Download the App: Visit telegram.org from your device and download the official app for your platform — iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, or Linux. Alternatively, use the Web App directly from your browser.
2 Sign Up with Your Phone Number: Open the app and sign up using your phone number. You will receive a verification code via SMS or a phone call. Enter the code to verify your identity and create your account.
3 Set Up Your Profile: Add your name, a profile photo, and a short bio to let your contacts know who you are. You can also choose a unique username that others can use to find you without needing your phone number.
4 Add Contacts: Telegram will automatically suggest contacts from your phone address book. You can also search for usernames or phone numbers to find and add friends, family, and colleagues.
5 Start Chatting: Tap on a contact to start a one-on-one chat. Send text messages, photos, videos, voice messages, and files. Use the emoji picker, GIFs, and stickers to make your conversations more expressive.
6 Explore Advanced Features: Discover Telegram's unique features like Secret Chats for extra privacy, Channels for broadcasting, and Bots for automation. Join public groups to connect with communities that share your interests.
7 Join or Create Groups: Find existing groups using the search feature or create your own group by selecting "New Group" and adding members. Groups can have up to 200,000 members, making them ideal for teams, communities, and events.
🤖 How can I develop a Telegram Bot?
1 Register Your Bot with BotFather: Open a chat with BotFather (@BotFather) on Telegram and send the /newbot command. Follow the prompts to choose a name and username for your bot. BotFather will generate a unique API token for your bot.
2 Set Up a Webhook or Polling: Choose how your bot will receive updates from Telegram. You can set up a webhook URL to receive real-time updates whenever users interact with your bot, or use long polling for simpler implementations.
3 Write Your Bot's Logic: Use any programming language to write your bot's logic. Telegram provides official SDKs and libraries for Python, JavaScript (Node.js), Java, and many more languages to help you get started quickly.
4 Implement Command Handlers: Define the commands your bot will support, such as /start, /help, /about, and custom commands. Use the Bot API to parse user input, process data, and generate appropriate responses.
5 Test Your Bot Locally: Run your bot on your local machine and test its functionality using the Telegram API's test environment. Use the /setwebhook command to test webhooks locally with tools like ngrok.
6 Deploy Your Bot to the Cloud: Deploy your bot to a server or cloud platform (such as Heroku, AWS, or Google Cloud) so it can run 24/7 and serve users worldwide. Ensure your deployment environment meets the required specifications.
7 Publish and Share Your Bot: Share your bot's username with others through social media, Telegram groups, or your website. Submit your bot to the Bot Store or Telegram channels to gain more visibility and attract users to your creation.
🔄 How does multi-device sync work on Telegram?
1 Log In on Multiple Devices: You can log in to your Telegram account on any number of devices simultaneously — phones, tablets, desktops, and even the web app. Each device syncs independently while maintaining a consistent experience.
2 Real-Time Cloud Sync: All your messages, contacts, and settings are stored in the Telegram cloud and synced across all devices in real-time. Any action you take on one device is instantly reflected on all other devices.
3 Complete Message History: Your entire message history is available on all devices, regardless of when you created your account or when you logged in. You never miss a conversation, even if you switch devices frequently.
4 Media & File Sync: Photos, videos, documents, and other media are synced across all your devices. You can start downloading a large file on your phone and continue from where you left off on your desktop.
5 Contact & Profile Sync: Your contacts, profile photo, name, bio, and username are automatically synced across all devices. Any changes you make to your profile are instantly updated everywhere.
6 Settings & Preferences Sync: Your privacy settings, notification preferences, theme choices, and other app settings are synced across all devices. You only need to configure your preferences once and they apply everywhere.
7 Remote Device Management: You can view and manage all active sessions from the Settings menu on any device. If a device is lost or compromised, you can log it out remotely to protect your account security.
👥 What are Telegram Groups and Channels, and how do they work?
1 Create a Group: Start a group by selecting "New Group" from the menu, then add members from your contacts or search for users by username. Groups are perfect for family chats, team collaborations, and community discussions.
2 Invite Members with Links: Generate an invite link for your group and share it with anyone you want to join. You can set the link to expire after a certain time or limit the number of uses for security.
3 Manage Permissions: As a group admin, you can set granular permissions for members. Control who can send messages, add new members, change group info, pin messages, or delete messages. You can also designate multiple admins.
4 Customize Group Appearance: Make your group stand out by setting a unique theme, background image, and custom emoji set. You can also give your group a distinctive name and profile photo that reflects its purpose.
5 Channels for Broadcasting: Channels are separate from groups and are designed for broadcasting messages to unlimited subscribers. Only admins can post in channels, making them ideal for news, announcements, and content distribution.
6 Massive Member Capacity: Telegram groups can hold up to 200,000 members — far more than any other messaging platform. Channels have no limit on subscribers, allowing you to reach millions of people with a single message.
7 Advanced Engagement Tools: Use pinned messages, polls, quizzes, and announcements to engage group and channel members. Admin tools like slow mode, message moderation, and reporting help you maintain a safe and constructive community environment.