The Complete Guide to Telegram Advanced Features and Privacy Settings

Yes, and since April 2026 Telegram ships with built-in Simplified/Traditional Chinese, so getting started is much simpler than before: after updating to the latest version, pick your language under Settings > Language and the whole interface follows the menus, with no need to hunt for third-party localization tutorials. The basic flow is: download from the official site or an app store > register with a real mobile number > set the language > turn on two-step verification > adjust privacy settings > search or tap a t.me link to join groups and add friends. The steps are the same everywhere, the only difference being which language you pick. Whatever you do, never tap an unknown localization pack link, which is a prime entry point for phishing and trojans.

A Secret Chat is safer. Regular chats use cloud encryption, with messages stored on Telegram servers so you can sync across devices and still see history after switching phones; a Secret Chat is end-to-end encrypted, with messages stored only on the two devices, not kept on the server and not synced across devices, and it also supports self-destruct timers, alerts the other person on screenshots, and cannot be forwarded. In short: for privacy and protection from third parties use a Secret Chat; for multi-device sync and keeping history use a regular chat. Regular mode is plenty for everyday chatting; open a Secret Chat when sensitive content is involved.

Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number, set Who can see my phone number to Nobody, and set Who can find me by number to My Contacts. That way strangers can neither see your number nor add you by searching it. Telegram actually hides your number from strangers by default, but manually setting it to Nobody is more thorough. For adding friends, use a username (@username) or an invite link, so you never have to expose your phone number. A reminder: if you once saved your number in someone contacts, or actively shared your contact with a bot, they may still see it, which is worth watching separately.

Logging into one account on phone and computer at the same time is a normal, officially supported Telegram feature; it will not get you banned and is fine for personal use. Note that all logged-in devices show under Settings > Privacy and Security > Active Sessions, with the device model, location, and last active time visible, which means simultaneous logins are visible to you (and to anyone who logs into the account) and are not hidden. Officially you can log in on multiple devices at once, but the community finds around 6 devices at a time is stable, and more tends to lag or fail to receive login codes. Check the device list periodically, immediately Terminate any unfamiliar session, and turn on two-step verification to prevent others from sneaking in.

Creating a Telegram group is simple: tap the menu at the top left or New Message at the bottom right > choose New Group > check the contacts to add > name the group > done. There are two ways to invite friends in Hong Kong and Taiwan: (1) if they are already in your contacts, just check them when creating the group; (2) more universally, use an invite link: in the group, tap the group name > Add Members or Invite to Group > Invite via Link, copy that t.me/+... link, and send it to your Hong Kong and Taiwan friends (over WhatsApp, email, or any channel). They tap the link to join, with no need to add each other first and no need to expose phone numbers. The link can be revoked and reset anytime.

Telegram bots work just like chatting: type the bot username (usually ending in bot) in the search box to find it, open it and tap Start to activate, then follow its prompts by sending keywords or tapping buttons. Common functions include translation, weather, file conversion, and subscription pushes. The reliable way to find good bots is to see which bots people use and recommend in groups and channels you trust, or search keywords directly in the search box. A reminder: any bot that asks you for a login code or two-step verification password is an account-theft scam; legitimate bots never ask for these, and do not authorize or transfer money to a sketchy bot.

Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Last Seen and Online, set the visibility to Nobody, and others will not see when you were last online. You can then use Exceptions to allow or block individual contacts. Note Telegram reciprocity rule: if you hide your last-seen time from everyone, you usually will not see other people last-seen time either (unless they allow you specifically). If you only want to hide it from certain people, use My Contacts plus an exception list. It takes effect immediately, with no restart needed.

Your profile photo can be hidden from strangers: go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Profile Photos, set Who can see my photo to My Contacts or Nobody, and people not in your contacts will not see your real photo. You can also use Exceptions to allow or block individuals. Note that your Telegram name is the account public display name and cannot be fully hidden from strangers (it shows once someone can search you or shares a group with you). If you do not want to reveal your real name, the move is to change the display name to an alias with no real information, and remove or hide your username (@username) to lower the chance of being found in search.

Yes, a Telegram Secret Chat can send files and photos. Inside a Secret Chat you can send photos, videos, voice, and files, and these are likewise protected by end-to-end encryption. If you set a self-destruct timer for the Secret Chat, the photos and files you send also destroy themselves on both devices by your set time, with no cloud backup left. Note that a Secret Chat exists only on your current device, is not uploaded to the cloud, and does not sync across devices, so you will not see the history after switching devices. The exact self-destruct behavior is subject to testing.

Yes, a Telegram Secret Chat can only be started and viewed on mobile (iOS/Android); the desktop apps usually do not support it. The reason is that it uses end-to-end encryption and is stored only on the device that started it, not synced to the cloud, so the same Secret Chat cannot be opened on another device (including a computer). For content you need to view on a computer, use a regular cloud chat (which syncs across devices). For Secret Chats, stick to operating on your phone.

To set group admins in Telegram: open the group, tap the group name to enter group info > Administrators > Add Admin, pick a member, and check the permissions to grant (delete messages, ban, pin, add people, and so on). To make only admins post: in group info > Permissions, turn off members Send Messages and similar permissions, and regular members can no longer post, leaving only admins able to, which effectively runs the group like a quasi-channel. Both require you to be the owner or an admin with the relevant permissions.

A Telegram group caps out at 200,000 members. Once you are near or over that scale, the official approach is to convert the huge group into a Broadcast Channel: a channel subscriber count has no cap and can hold millions, suited to pure publishing. If you still need interaction, attach a discussion group below the channel. In other words, 200,000 is the group ceiling, and beyond that you should use a channel to carry the load. The exact conversion entry is subject to the Telegram app.

Yes. Telegram has plenty of ready-made group-management bots that can automatically detect and kick spam accounts, set join CAPTCHAs, filter banned words and links, restrict new members from posting, and more. Setup roughly is: search a trusted group-management bot in Telegram > add it to your group > grant it admin permissions (especially ban/delete-message permissions) > set rules via its commands or web panel (such as enabling join verification or a keyword blocklist). Be sure to pick a well-reviewed bot and grant only the necessary permissions, so you do not hand control of your group to a sketchy bot.

Two routes. One is Telegram built-in translation: in newer versions, long-press a message to choose Translate, and under Settings > Language you can turn on Show Translate Button to translate a whole conversation, though this mainly translates between different languages. The other is Traditional-to-Simplified conversion: Traditional and Simplified are both Chinese, and the built-in translation may not specifically do this conversion, in which case you can use a third-party Traditional/Simplified converter bot and forward the message to it to get Simplified. That said, Traditional Chinese is very easy for Chinese readers, so most people do not actually need to convert. The exact features are subject to testing in your app version.

By default, sending a photo directly will be compressed by Telegram and lose quality. To send the original uncompressed: after picking the photo and before sending, tap the attachment menu and choose Send as File, and the photo is sent as the original file with no compression and full quality preserved; the recipient downloads the original. The difference is that sending as a file does not show as a large thumbnail in the chat but as a file entry. Use Send as File when you need to see fine detail, preserve EXIF, or archive.

Saved Messages is like a private cloud drive that only you can see. It is simple to use: in any chat, forward messages, photos, files, and links to Saved Messages, or send/upload files directly in Saved Messages, and they are kept in the cloud long-term, accessible from any signed-in device anytime. People commonly use it to transfer files across devices, back up important material, and stash to-do links. It is not limited by device sync, files do not expire easily, and it is a very practical hidden feature of Telegram. Paired with folders, you can sort and organize too.

Both are set under Settings > Privacy and Security as separate items. The Calls item can be set to Everybody / My Contacts / Nobody, limiting who can place Telegram voice and video calls to you and blocking spam calls from strangers. The Forwarded Messages item controls whether a clickable link to your account shows when others forward your messages; set to Nobody, your forwarded messages show only an anonymous name without exposing the account. Both support an exceptions list. If you care about privacy, tighten both to My Contacts or Nobody.

The Desktop app gives the most complete export: open Desktop > top-left menu > Settings > Advanced > Export Telegram Data, check the content to back up (private chats, groups, channels, photos, videos, files, and so on), pick a path and format (HTML or JSON), and start the export; when done, a local archive you can browse offline is generated. The mobile apps have no such complete export feature, so back up on a computer first, confirm the files open, and only then deactivate the account, otherwise chat history is wiped along with deletion and cannot be recovered.

Whether Telegram Premium is worth buying depends on your real use. If you are often bothered by ads in official channels, frequently send large videos or files, and find downloads slow, then Premium ad-free plus larger upload cap plus faster downloads do directly improve the experience, and it is worth it for heavy users. But if you just send text day to day and occasionally a photo, the free version is plenty: encryption, Secret Chats, and two-step verification are free, and Premium does not make the account more secure. It is best to subscribe for one month first as a trial, renew if you clearly feel the benefit, and not lock in long-term.

They emphasize different things. WhatsApp strength is default end-to-end encryption: all regular chats are encrypted by nature, and it also has Disappearing messages and View once, which is worry-free default privacy for ordinary people. Telegram regular cloud chats are not end-to-end encrypted by default (for multi-device sync), and end-to-end is only enabled in one-on-one Secret Chats, which can self-destruct on a timer, alert on screenshots, and are not uploaded to the cloud. Bottom line: for hassle-free default full encryption plus disappearing messages, WhatsApp is steadier; for hidden identity, username-based social, powerful groups and channels, plus on-demand Secret Chat self-destruct, Telegram is more flexible. Privacy-focused users can mix both by situation.