A Telegram user can chat with other people in a group chat (including voice chat). They can also create and subscribe to ‘channels’ where they can access information shared publicly by other users. Telegram messages are synced across multiple devices so that a user can login on different devices and still see all their messages. People can pay for ‘Telegram Premium’ to download bigger files and not see any adverts.
Users can share content using the ‘View Once’ feature so that it disappears after the recipient has seen it. They can also send ‘Secret Chat Messages’ using end-to-end encryption. This means the message can only be read by the sender and the person who received it, no one in between. Users can set a passcode lock for the app too.
Telegram has no parental controls but does have some safety settings. A user can control who can see their profile photo, bio, phone number or when they were last online. They can also block other people and control who can call them, add them to group chats or include a link to their account in a message to someone else. They can also turn on the ‘People Nearby’ setting to connect with people nearby, but this setting is off by default.
