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What is Telegram?
Telegram is a free messaging platform with a focus on speed and security. It is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world with over 500 million monthly active users and has been one of the 10 most downloaded apps in the world. It is also available on all imaginable platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and even on the web. Your data is also synced over all devices and you can access your conversations from anywhere and on any of your devices.
You can connect with the users from your phone contacts and add other people using their usernames. Telegram allows you to send messages, images(up to 4k), videos, and files (doc, zip, mp3, etc.) of up to 2 GB each. You can also participate in voice and video conversations with an end-to-end encrypted security standard in place. Telegram also has a feature that allows group chats with up to 200,000 users and public channels that can broadcast to an unlimited audience. Telegram also claims to use state-of-the-art security and privacy measures to make communications safe and secure without ever compromising on speed and reliability.
Telegram’s apps are free and open-source, hence their source code is free for everyone to see and audit. Telegram also provides their Bot API to developers, to easily build specialized tools for Telegram, integrate their services, and even accept payments from users all over the world.
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In this App, you can create a group with more than 200,000 users. Though it has many useful features, you may want to delete the Telegram account because very few of your contacts use it. Or it fails to meet your expectations.
In this article, we guide you on how to deactivateTelegram account permanently and what could be the alternative to deleting the account.
Why you should think about deleting your Telegram account
Telegram inherently is not a bad platform at all. It is quite a secure platform but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything wrong with it. The platform has been involved in quite a few controversies since its inception. It has been in the limelight multiple times over the years and not necessarily for all the good reasons. Let us take a look at some of these controversies and find out if these facts change your mind about how you perceive Telegram to be.
In September 2015, Telegram was reportedly used by extremist groups like ISIS to communicate with their members and supporters to spread propaganda and misinformation. Telegram later stated that they blocked several channels operated by ISIS that were used to spread hate and terrorism. But Telegram still faced a lot of scrutiny over this incident from the public.
Telegram was also reportedly used by far-right groups and fascist organizations to spread propaganda and hatred. Telegram was used by these groups after they were blocked major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. Far-right publications also used it as their major broadcast platform. A telegram later stated that they blocked hundreds of such channels that were used to entice hatred and violence.
Due to Telegram’s privacy policy, the platform has been used by many for distributing pornographic material, including a child and teenage pornography. Several anonymous accounts were also used to distribute personal contact information of women which violated their rights.
Telegram also has been blocked in several countries due to its privacy policies that allow its users to raise voice and criticize authorities. Users also used it as a safe platform to communicate without the government snooping into their conversations. Hence it was banned in multiple countries.
Besides this, Telegram’s encryption standard has also been questioned by cryptography experts. They have made worrying statements as to why Telegram uses its proprietary encryption protocol called MTProto instead of other well-known standards that have been known to be effective.
By default, Telegram also doesn’t seem to encrypt communications between you and the recipient. You have to manually turn it on to use the feature. This raises questions like why would a privacy-focused company would do this.
In 2017, a Unicode bug was exploited by hackers in the Telegram app that allowed them to remotely install crypto miners and malware onto vulnerable computers.
If these facts made you change your mind and you might want to think about deleting your Telegram account and go for a better alternative. There are a lot of other platforms to choose from and don’t worry, we’ll help you look for one.
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Ask Tech Support Live NowThings to consider before you deactivate Telegram account
- You can’t deactivate your Telegram Account using a mobile or desktop app. You got to use a web browser like Google, Firefox, Edge, etc. either from your phone or PC.
- All your chats, messages, groups, and bots will be removed permanently, and the channels you have created will be taken over by the admin.
- Entire contacts on Telegram will be lost forever.
- The permanent deletion of the Telegram account cannot be reinstated.
- Though you can create a new account using the same number after some time, you can’t restore your chat history and contact list of the deleted accounts.
Still, want to delete your Telegram account? Follow the procedure below:
How to Delete Telegram Account Permanently?
- Visit the Telegram account Deletion page from your favorite web browser either through mobile or from your laptop/PC.
- Enter the phone number with which you have created the Telegram account that you want to delete and then click on Next. The number should be in an international format i.e., it should be preceded by the country code and area code.
- You’ll receive a confirmation code in the Telegram application (not in SMS) immediately. Go back to the web browser and then type the code manually in the field provided for the same after that click on “Sign in”. The code is case sensitive so entering it, make sure that even the case of the letter matches.
- On the next page, read and understand what will happen once you delete the Telegram account. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and type the reason for leaving Telegram.
- A confirmation sub-window will pop up. If you haven’t made a last-minute change to your thought, then confirm your choice to delete your Telegram account by clicking Yes, Delete my Account.
The telegram account deactivation process is complete. You can’t sign up with the same number for 14 days of termination.
How to delete a sent message on Telegram
If you accidentally sent someone a message and you don’t want them to read it after it has already been delivered, Telegram has you covered. You can delete the sent message from the recipient’s end permanently. To achieve this, follow the step by step instructions on the Telegram app on your mobile device (Android or iOS) :
- Step 1: Open the Telegram app on your mobile device
- Step 2: Find the conversation that contains the message you want to delete
- Step 3: Scroll and locate the message you want to delete from the recipient
- Step 4: Now tap and hold on to the message you want to delete
- Step 5: Now click on the Delete option on the top right corner of your screen
- Step 6: After that, you will see another pop-up on your screen. Click on the checkbox saying “Also Delete for recipient”.
Now, the message will be permanently deleted from the sender and receiver’s chat history and you won’t be able to see it again.
How to delete an entire chat on Telegram?
If you want some privacy and wish to delete the entire chat history with someone, Telegram allows you to do so. You can delete the entire conversation with someone from your device. To delete an entire conversation, follow the step by step guide below on your device:
Delete entire chat on Android
- Step 1: Open the Telegram app on your Android device
- Step 2: Find the chat/conversation that you want to delete
- Step 3: Tap and hold on to the conversation until you see a pop-up
- Step 4: Click on the checkbox that says “Also delete for Friend “
Now, the entire chat will be deleted for both participants.
Delete entire chat on iOS
- Step 1: Open the Telegram app on your iOS device
- Step 2 : Find the chat / conversation that you want to delete
- Step 3 : Swipe right on the chat till you see a bunch of options
- Step 4 : Now tap on the Delete option
- Step 5 : You will see a pop-up. Click on “Delete for me and Friend “
Now, the entire chat will be deleted for both participants.
How to mute a chat on Telegram?
If you have been annoyed with all the notifications from chats, groups, or channels, Telegram allows you to disable all such notifications individually. You can choose to mute the conversation for a certain period of time or completely disable all notifications. Follow the step by step guide below to mute a conversation on your device:
Mute a chat on Android
- Step 1: Open the Telegram app on your Android device
- Step 2: Find and open the chat, group, or channel you want to mute
- Step 3: Tap on the three-dot menu (options menu) on the top-right corner of your screen
- Step 4: Now tap on the Mute notifications option from the list
- Step 5: Now select the duration of time you want to mute the conversation or tap on the Disable option to mute the chat indefinitely
Now you will no longer receive any notifications from the chat, group, or channel.
Mute a chat on iOS
- Step 1: Open the Telegram app on your iOS device
- Step 2: Find and open the chat, group, or channel you want to mute
- Step 3: Now tap on the name of the chat, group or channel on the top of the conversation
- Step 4: Now tap on the Mute option
- Step 5: Now select the duration of time you want to mute the conversation or tap on the Mute Forever option to mute the chat indefinitely
Now you will no longer receive any notifications from the chat, group, or channel.
How to block someone on Android or iOS?
If you have been receiving inappropriate, annoying, or threatening messages from someone, you can choose to block them and they will not be able to send you any more messages. Follow the step by step guide on your mobile device (Android or iOS):
- Step 1: Open the Telegram app on your device
- Step 2: Tap on the Hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) on the top left corner of your screen
- Step 3: Now select Contacts from the list of options
- Step 4: Find and tap on the contact you want to block. This will take you to the chat history of the user
- Step 5: Now tap on the name of the user to go to their profile
- Step 6: Tap on the three dots menu on the top right corner of your screen
- Step 7: Now tap on Block User
- Step 8: Tap on Block User again to confirm
How to unblock someone on Android or iOS?
If you wish to unblock someone who you have previously blocked, follow the step by step guide on your mobile device (Android or iOS) :
- Step 1: Open the Telegram app on your device
- Step 2: Tap on the Hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) on the top left corner of your screen
- Step 3: Tap on Settings from the menu
- Step 4: Now tap on Blocked Users
- Step 5: From the list of blocked users tap on the user that you want to unblock
- Step 6: Now tap on Unblock
What happens when you delete your Telegram account?
When you delete your Telegram account, all your data is deleted forever and is completely irrecoverable. You won’t be able to recover any associated data like conversations, media, your contacts. To use Telegram again, you will have to create a brand new account with your phone number.
And for the channels and groups you have created, will still be able to operate normally even after you have deleted your account. The existing admins will keep their roles and if you were the only admin of the group or channel, Telegram will randomly assign the position to another user in the group or channel.
And, if you were planning to use the same phone number for another account, be warned that Telegram won’t let you create another account with the same number for at least two days after you have deleted the account associated with the phone number. You will have to wait for a couple of days before you will be able to do that.
Steps to enable Account Self-destruct Option
Please note that if you don’t use your Telegram account continuously for more than six months, the account will delete itself and all the data pertaining to the account will be lost completely. Though this default setting cannot be disabled, you can adjust the time period for the self-destruction of the account.
Follow the instruction to set the self-destruction period:
- Open the Telegram application either on your phone or PC.
- Tap on the menu icon (≡) that lies towards the top left corner of the page and click on the “Settings” option from the menu pane that slides out.
- Swipe down and tap on “Privacy and Security”.
- In the Privacy and Security page under the Advanced option tap on “Delete my Account if away for”.
- Choose the period to self-destruct.
Don’t use the Telegram for the period that you’ve chosen above and your account including all the data in it will be deleted permanently.
Adjusting the time period of self-destruction will not stop others to contact you in Telegram. So, we recommend you to uninstall the application from your phone as well as the PC if your intention is to remain inactive in Telegram.
Uninstall Telegram from Android phone
- Go to the list of the application.
- Tap and hold the Telegram icon.
- After holding it for a while drag it towards the top of the screen where you will see two options “Cancel” and “Uninstall”.
- Drag the application to the Uninstall tab and leave it.
- Confirm your choice and the application will be deleted from your Android phone.
To uninstall the application from PC
- Click the “Windows” icon at the bottom left corner of the screen of your desktop.
- You will see the list of all the programs on your desktop arranged in alphabetical order. Scroll down and find the Telegram.
- Right-click in the Telegram application and then click on the “Uninstall” option.
- It will redirect you to the control panel where you can uninstall or change a program. Scroll down and find Telegram and double-click on it.
- A pop-up window will appear, asking you ‘ Are you sure want to completely remove Telegram Desktop and all of its components?’. Click ‘Yes,’ and the app will be uninstalled from your PC.
Alternatives of Telegram
If you want to switch to a platform other than Telegram for whatever reason, you might want to check out these alternatives. I hope you find a better alternative if you want to part ways with Telegram for good. Let us take a look at some of these platforms and give you an idea of what they are all about. Choose a platform that suits you the best.
Signal
Signal is one of the most secure messaging platforms at the moment. It uses a state-of-the-art encryption system to make communication safe and secure. It uses an end-to-end encryption standard by default that makes all your conversations incredibly secure and private. Signal uses standard cellphone numbers as identifiers to connect you with other users on the platform. You can send text, images, videos, files and participate in voice and video chats without compromising on security and privacy. Signal is also a completely free and open-source platform trusted by cybersecurity professionals, so you need not worry about your personal data being sold to advertisers and misused in any way.
Discord
Discord is a communication platform especially aimed at gamers for voice chat. More than just calls you can also text and video chat with your friends. There are a plethora of servers you can join, each with a theme that unites people with similar interests. It has a large number of users with different interests covering every topic imaginable. The Discord community has grown a lot in recent years and expanded its userbase to more than just gamers. It might be a good platform if you wish to switch to a new platform for messaging.
Viber
Viber is another popular messaging platform that is secure without slouching on features. Viber lets you connect to all the contacts on your phone. It is very private and security-focused so that all your personal chats are encrypted, private, and secure. All kinds of communications are protected by end-to-end encryption by default, and on top of that nothing you share is ever stored on Viber’s servers once it is delivered to the recipient. You also don’t have to worry about Viber listening to your conversations and sell your personal data to third-party companies.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging platforms in the world. It uses strict security standards to keep your messages private and secure which makes it is a very secure messaging platform. WhatsApp pays a lot of attention to privacy and security to keep your conversations out of reach of malicious hands. All types of WhatsApp messages (including chats, group chats, images, videos, voice messages, and files) and all voice and video calls are protected by end-to-end encryption. So it is a safe bet if you wish to use it as your primary messaging platform.
Threema
Threema is a paid messaging platform that specializes in security and privacy. Threema claims that they are the most secure messaging platform out there. Threema is a Switzerland-based company and it guarantees to be safe with your data just like any other Swiss company. It has all the features that you expect with a messaging platform like text and voice messages, groups, voice and video calls, and file sharing. More than that it provides features like polling and location sharing. Threema is easy to use, provides versatile features, and avoids useless gimmicks like other platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Can I get a copy of my data before deleting my account?
A: Yes, you can export your data by using the desktop version of the app and going to Settings > Export Telegram Data
Q: Can I restore my deleted account?
A: No, an account that is deleted is permanently terminated and no recovery is possible
Q: Will uninstalling the telegram app delete my account?
A: No, uninstalling the app won’t delete any of your data. Install the app and log in with your credentials and all your data will still be there.
Q: Will inactivity on Telegram cause my account to be deleted?
A: Yes, after a period of inactivity (default one year), your account will be deleted from the platform along with all of your data. You will have to create another account to use Telegram again.
Q: Can I use the same phone number for another account?
A: Yes, but you have to wait for a couple of days after you have deleted the account associated with the phone number. Only then will you be able to create another account.
Q: Will blocked users see my online status?
A: No, blocked users will not be able to see your “Last seen” or Online Status. They will also not be able to send you any messages.
Q: What happens when I delete a chat on telegram?
A: The chat or conversation will be deleted for both participants without any trace and recoverability
Our Final Verdict
I hope this article helped you delete your Telegram account and other queries related to it. Although Telegram is not inherently a bad platform, we urge you to use your own judgment and make your own decision. If you are still having problems and want some help, visit https://telegram.org/faq and search for the problem or contact Customer Support at https://telegram.org/support for further assistance. And if you choose to switch to another platform, I hope you got an idea about some other alternatives you could try. Best of luck finding the platform that suits you best.
Abby
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