Go to Settings
- Who can see my phone number?:
My Contacts
orNobody
- Who can find me by my number?: My Contacts
- Who can see my last seen time?: Nobody
- Who can see my profile photos & videos?: My Contacts
- Who can add a link to my account when forwarding my messages?: Nobody
- Who can call me?: My Contacts
- Use Peer-to-Peer with: Nobody (Call quality will be reduced, but it'll prevent your location from being exposed through your IP address to the other person on the call.)
- Who can add me to group chats?: My Contacts
- Remove any device you might have logged in to previously, but don't use anymore.
- Automatically terminate old sessions
- If inactive for: 3 months
- Enable Passcode > Create a secure Passcode (
1234
or0987
is not a secure passcode.) - After Passcode is created >
- Auto-lock: Shortest duration that suits you
- Show Content: If this is disabled, chat content will be hidden in the task switcher, but you won't be able to take screenshots in the app. Decide this yourself accordingly.
- Set Password > Create a secure Password (123456, 098765, your birth date, abcde, qwerty are not secure passwords. Create with at least 6-8 characters containing upper case, lower case, numbers and special characters.)
ℹ️ NOTE 1: When asked for Recovery Email, make sure you provide an email which has adequate security measures like a strong password and 2FA enabled. Alternatively you can skip this, but then if you forget your password, you'll lose access to your Telegram account and there'll be no way to restore it.
ℹ️ NOTE 2: Use a password manager to generate and store strong & unique passwords. Check out recommendations, alternatives & reviews.
- Self destruct timer: Select whatever suits you
- For enabling Auto-Delete messages for existing chats: Go to a particular chat > Tap on contact name on top > Click 3 dots on top > Auto-Delete
- Off
- When using mobile data: Off
- When connected to Wi-Fi: Off
- When roaming: Off
- GIFs: Off
- Videos: Off
- Stream Videos and Audio Files: Off
Tip
Telegram chats are not end-to-end encrypted by default.
To enable: Tap on a contact name or an existing chat > Tap on contact name on top > Click 3 dots on top > Start Secret Chat