Telegram (software) facts for kids
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| Developer(s) | Telegram FZ LLC Telegram Messenger Inc. |
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| Initial release | 14 August 2013 | ||||||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||
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| Written in | Desktop: C++, C, Java, Python Android: Java |
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| Platform | Android, iOS, iPadOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Web platform | ||||||||
| Available in | 66 (officially 12) languages | ||||||||
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List of languages
Chinese (Beta), English, Russian, Persian, Turkish, Italian, Arabic, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Uzbek, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Dutch, French, Japanese (Beta), Korean, Indonesian, Malay, Belarusian, Catalan, Polish, Finnish, Hebrew
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| Type | Instant messaging | ||||||||
| License | GNU GPLv3 only with OpenSSL linking exception (clients), proprietary (server) | ||||||||
| Founded | March 2013 |
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| Headquarters | Tortola, British Virgin Islands (legal domicile) Dubai, United Arab Emirates (operational center) |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Founder(s) | |
| CEO | Pavel Durov |
| Industry | Software |
Telegram Messenger, often called Telegram, is a popular app for sending messages. It uses the internet to let people chat, share photos, videos, and files. You can also make voice and video calls with friends or groups.
Telegram works on many devices like phones, tablets, and computers. It was first launched for iPhones in August 2013 and for Android phones in October 2013. A special feature called "Secret Chats" offers extra privacy with end-to-end encryption. This means only you and the person you're talking to can read the messages.
Besides chatting, Telegram lets you share short videos called "stories." You can also create large groups with many members or share updates with unlimited people through "channels."
Telegram was started in 2013 by two brothers, Nikolai Durov and Pavel Durov. Its main office is in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Telegram is a very popular messaging app in many parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa.
As of March 2024, Telegram has over 900 million active users every month. This makes it one of the biggest messaging apps in the world.
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How Telegram Started
Making the App
Telegram was created in 2013 by brothers Nikolai Durov and Pavel Durov. Before Telegram, they also started a social network called VK. Nikolai built the special technology that Telegram uses to send messages. Pavel helped by providing money and support for the app's setup.
Telegram says its main goal is not to make money. It aims to provide a free and secure messaging service for everyone. The company is officially registered in the British Virgin Islands and Dubai. This helps them protect user information from government requests.
How Many People Use It
Telegram grew very quickly. In October 2013, it had 100,000 daily users. By March 2014, it had 35 million monthly users.
Many people started using Telegram in October 2014. This happened when some users in South Korea switched from another app due to privacy worries. By December 2014, Telegram had 50 million active users. They were sending 1 billion messages every day!
In February 2016, Telegram reached 100 million monthly active users. About 350,000 new users were joining every day. By March 2018, this number doubled to 200 million monthly users.
On March 14, 2019, 3 million new users joined Telegram in just one day. This happened when other popular apps like Facebook and Instagram had technical problems. By October 2019, Telegram had 300 million monthly active users worldwide.
In April 2020, the app reached 400 million monthly users. By January 2021, it had about 500 million users. Later that year, in October 2021, Telegram gained over 70 million new users. This was after a big outage affected Facebook and its related apps.
In March 2022, Telegram became the most popular messaging app in Russia. It had 63% of users there, more than WhatsApp. By June 2022, Telegram announced it had reached 700 million monthly active users. In July 2023, this number grew to over 800 million. As of March 2024, Telegram has more than 900 million monthly active users.
Cool Things Telegram Can Do
Sending Messages
To use Telegram, you need to sign up with your phone number. Your phone number is usually hidden from others. Messages you send are linked to your number and a special username you pick. You can use Telegram on many devices at once. All your chats sync automatically, so you can start typing on your phone and finish on your laptop.
You can send messages with different text styles, pictures, videos, and files up to 4 GB (if you have Premium). You can also send your location or record audio and video messages. If you make a mistake, you can edit messages up to 48 hours after sending them. You can also delete messages for everyone in the chat without a trace.
Telegram lets you move your chat history from other apps like WhatsApp. This means you can keep your old messages when you switch to Telegram. You can also translate any message into different languages. Premium users can translate whole chats with one tap.
You can react to messages with fun emoji. Premium users get even more choices. These reactions often have cool animations. You can also send stickers, which are like big, expressive emoji. Some stickers have full-screen effects that play when you send them.
You can schedule messages to send later or when someone comes online. You can also send a message "without sound" so it doesn't notify the other person. If you want to save a message, you can forward it to your "Saved Messages" chat. Only you can see what's in there.
Telegram has a "People Nearby" feature. If you turn on your phone's GPS, you can see other users in your area who also use this feature. You can also organize your chats into folders, like "Work" or "Family," to keep them tidy.
Telegram offers "Secret Chats" for extra privacy. These chats are encrypted, meaning only you and the other person can read them. They stay on the device where you started them and disappear if you log out. Secret Chats can also prevent screenshots on Android and warn you on iOS if someone tries to take one. Messages in Secret Chats can even disappear automatically after a set time.
Groups and Channels
Telegram lets you create and join groups and channels. Groups are like big chat rooms that can hold up to 200,000 members. Groups can be public, so anyone can find and join them, or private, needing an invitation. Group admins can set rules and use special bots to help manage the chat and prevent spam. Groups can even be split into smaller "topics" for different discussions.
Admins can choose to hide the list of members in a group. They can also post messages anonymously. Groups and channels can have "content protection" to stop people from taking screenshots, forwarding messages, or downloading media.
Groups support "threaded replies." This means you can reply directly to a specific message, and all the replies to that message will be grouped together. You can also tag specific users in a group by typing "@" followed by their username.
Groups and channels also have polls. You can create polls with multiple choices, and they can be anonymous or show who voted for what.
Channels are different because they are mostly for one-way updates. The channel owner or admins post content, and followers can read, react, and comment (if comments are turned on). Channels can have an unlimited number of followers. Only admins can see who subscribes to a channel. Posting in a channel is usually anonymous. Channels also show detailed stats about how many people view posts.
Channels are often used by news services, like the Financial Times and The New York Times, to share updates. Even leaders like Volodymyr Zelensky and Emmanuel Macron use channels to communicate with people.
Games
Telegram has an open system that lets developers create custom "bots." These bots are like mini-programs that can do many things. Some bots can act as games, letting you play directly within Telegram chats! Many of these games use special game engines to run smoothly.
Video and Voice Calls
Since 2017, Telegram has allowed one-on-one voice calls. Video calls were added in August 2020. These calls are also encrypted for privacy. Telegram uses smart technology to make sure your call quality is good.
In December 2020, Telegram added group voice chats. Then, in June 2021, group video chats were introduced. In group calls, you can share your screen, record the call, and even reduce background noise. In channels, you can start a live video stream for many viewers.
Once a group voice chat starts, it stays active until an admin closes it. This means people can join and leave whenever they want.
Privacy and Security Settings
When you log into Telegram, it usually sends a code to your phone or another device you're logged into. You can also set up a two-step verification password for extra security. If a new device logs into your account, Telegram will send you a special alert.
In your settings, you can choose to hide your "Last Seen" status. This means others won't know the exact time you were last online. You can also hide your phone number and profile picture from certain people, like those not in your contacts.
The "Devices" section in settings shows all the places you're logged in. You can log out of any device remotely from there.
Data and Storage Settings
Telegram lets you control how media is downloaded. You can turn off automatic downloads for photos and videos, especially when using mobile data. This helps save your data plan. You can also set how long Telegram keeps files in its cache (temporary storage). This helps manage the space the app uses on your phone.
Bots
In June 2015, Telegram launched a platform for "bots." Bots are special Telegram accounts run by computer programs. They can do many things:
- Reply to messages.
- Help manage groups.
- Integrate with other services.
- Even host mini-apps or games.
Bots can also handle online payments using credit cards or services like Apple Pay. There are also "inline bots" that you can use in any chat by typing the bot's username and a question.
In April 2021, Telegram updated its payment system for bots. This made it easier to pay for things directly within chats using various payment services.
Telegram also has a "Login" feature. It lets you sign into other websites using your Telegram account. This sends your Telegram name and profile picture to the website, but your phone number stays hidden.
Stickers, Emoji, Reactions, and Effects
Telegram has over 20,000 different stickers. Stickers are like big, detailed emoji that you can use to express yourself. When you type an emoji, Telegram might suggest a related sticker. Stickers come in "packs" and can be static, animated, or even video.
In August 2019, Telegram added animated emoji. These are larger emoji with unique animations. In September 2021, "interactive emoji" were added. These emoji play a full-screen effect in the chat when you tap them. In August 2022, Telegram launched an emoji platform where users can upload their own custom emoji. Premium users can use these custom emoji in chats.
Reactions were added in 2021, allowing you to quickly respond to messages with an emoji. Telegram has expanded the reactions available, even for free users.
People Nearby and Groups Nearby
The "People Nearby" feature helps you find new friends. If you turn on your phone's GPS, you can see other users in your area who have also turned on this feature. "Groups Nearby" lets you create or find local groups based on your location.
Stories
Like other social media apps, Telegram users can post short videos or photos called "stories." Telegram stories have special features like a dual-camera mode, extra privacy settings, and the ability to edit stories after you post them. You can also rewind and fast-forward stories while watching.
Premium Features
Telegram Premium was launched in June 2022. It's an optional paid subscription that gives users extra benefits. Premium users get:
- Larger file uploads.
- Faster download speeds.
- Unlimited voice message transcription (turning voice into text).
- More pinned chats and folders.
- Exclusive stickers, emoji, and reactions.
- Customization options like a special badge and changing message appearance.
- Instant chat translation.
- The ability to restrict who can send them voice messages.
You can buy Telegram Premium through app stores or directly from Telegram. You can also buy it as a gift for someone else. Sometimes, Telegram channels give away Premium subscriptions to their followers.
Other Telegram Tools
You can use your Telegram account to write articles on a simple website called Telegraph. It's a basic text editor and publisher. You can publish articles anonymously, or link them to your account to see how many people view them and edit them later. Telegraph articles load instantly within Telegram, so you don't have to open a web browser.
When you publish an article, its web address is created automatically from the title. You can add images and videos up to 5 MB. You can also embed videos from YouTube or Twitter directly into your article.
Telegram also has a feature called Telegram Passport. This is a secure way to store your official documents, like your passport or ID card. If an online service needs to verify your identity, you can share this information with your permission. Telegram says it doesn't have access to your documents.
In December 2020, Telegram launched a platform for users to report bugs and suggest new features. Other users can vote on these suggestions.
How Telegram Works
Privacy
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For "Secret Chats," Telegram uses a special encryption method called MTProto. This technology makes sure that your messages are private and secure. It uses strong encryption methods to protect your conversations.
Experts have studied MTProto and found it to be secure for private chats. However, it's always a good idea to check the "fingerprints" of your shared keys in Secret Chats. This helps make sure you're talking to the right person and no one else is listening.
Servers
Like most messaging apps, Telegram uses central computers called "servers." Telegram has servers in many countries around the world. This helps the app work quickly for users everywhere. The software that runs on Telegram's servers is kept private by the company.
For users in Europe, Telegram stores their data on servers in the Netherlands. This helps them follow privacy rules like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Apps for Different Devices
Telegram has many different apps for various devices. Some are made by Telegram, and others are made by the community. Most of these apps are free and open-source, meaning their code can be viewed by anyone.
- Telegram (Android): Works on Android phones, tablets, and smartwatches. It syncs across all your devices.
- Telegram (iOS and iPadOS): For iPhones and iPads. It also syncs across your Apple devices.
- Telegram X (Android): An alternative Android app that aims to be faster and smoother.
- Telegram Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux): An app for your computer. You can't sign up for a new account on desktop, you need to use a mobile app first.
- Telegram (macOS): A special app made just for Apple computers.
- Telegram Web A / Web K: Two versions of Telegram that you can use in your web browser. Like the desktop app, you can't sign up for a new account here.
APIs
Telegram has public APIs. These are like special tools that let other developers create their own apps or features that work with Telegram. For example, some companies have made their own messaging apps based on Telegram's technology.
Telegram also offers an API for creating "bots." These bots can do many things, like playing old games within the app or giving information about things like vaccine availability.
Telegram also provides features that allow payments to be made directly within the platform, often with the help of external payment services.
How Telegram Makes Money
Telegram was first supported by its founder, Pavel Durov, using his own money. Later, the company raised money from investors.
In March 2021, Telegram sold special bonds to raise $1 billion. This money helped them pay off debts and continue to grow the app. They also sold more bonds to investment companies in Abu Dhabi.
Ads and Paid Features
Telegram has promised that it will never show ads in private chats. However, in late 2020, Pavel Durov announced that Telegram would start showing non-targeted ads in large public channels. These ads, called "Sponsored Messages," began appearing in channels with over 1000 followers in October 2021.
Durov also mentioned that Telegram might add paid features for businesses. These features would require more resources, and the money from them would help cover costs for both businesses and regular users.
TON (Telegram Open Network)
In 2017, Telegram started developing a new blockchain platform called "The Open Network" (TON) and its own digital currency called "Gram." The idea was to make TON a huge platform for apps and services, like a decentralized version of WeChat or app stores. It also aimed to be a fast payment system.
Telegram raised a lot of money from investors for this project. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stopped the project. The SEC said that Grams were like unregistered securities, which meant they couldn't be sold to the public without special rules.
A judge agreed with the SEC, and Telegram had to stop the TON project. The company agreed to pay a penalty and return money to the investors. After this, Telegram decided to focus on its messaging app and raise money through bonds instead.
See also
In Spanish: Telegram para niños
- Alt-tech
- Comparison of cross-platform instant messaging clients
- Internet privacy
- Secure instant messaging
