You can now Add Friends by Username in Telegram Messaging App

Share This Post

The Telegram Messaging App, the security-focused messaging app, now lets you add friends without necessarily knowing their phone number (see the step-by-step guide on how to add a username in Telegram). An update to the iOS and Android apps today has introduced the option to register a a username, although all users must still bind their account to a phone number.

The advantage of a username is that you can share your contact details for Telegram without revealing your phone number, thus safeguarding some level of privacy.

Usernames must be a minimum of five characters — so you can’t make up for losing out on a one-letter Twitter handle here — and can contain letters, numbers and underscores.

You are also free to change your alias, so long as the new one is not already taken.

That’s not quite all from this Telegram update. The company has also taken a leaf out of Snapchat’s book with a new feature that lets users ‘Tap and Hold to View’ photos, video and voice messages that are sent with a self-destructing timer. Prior to this update, Telegram users had to tap on media to load it.

Importantly, Telegram has now amended said self-destructing timer for media so that it only begins once the content has been opened. That means that photos, videos, etc do not self-destruct before being read.

Founded by the brothers behind Russian social network VK, Telegram launched in October 2013 with a promise to make mobile messaging more secure. The service gained some serious momentum after Facebook agree to buy WhatsApp, when it clocked 8 million downloads in a matter of days, primarily from users concerned with Facebook’s approach to user data.

Earlier this year, Telegram revealed that it has 35 million monthly active users, 15 million of whom use it daily. Co-founder Pavel Durov confirmed to TechCrunch that, as of March 2014, more than 18 billion messages were received by users of the service per month.

Those stats are far smaller than WhatsApp — which has over half a billion monthly users — and others, but they are impressive for such a new entrant in the messaging space.

Stay Ahead: Join the EwtNet Insider Email Club!

Stay informed and up-to-date with EwtNet's email subscription. Join our exclusive community and receive curated news, updates, and insights tailored to your interests.

Related Posts

EWT GS 1.0 Android App is out – Follow EwtNet Updates Offline

In response to readers feedback and recommendations EWT Global...

BlackBerry will try to tempt you back with BackBerry Classic

What do you like most about your old BlackBerry...

Unlocking your Android Phone could be that easy with Device Unlock App

Recently, Obama granted smartphone users the freedom to unlock...

Apple’s Facebook Integration Will Help Both Companies, Analysts Say

Apple announcement that it's integrating Facebook into its operating...

OnePlus $299 Smartphone Will be on Sale for One Hour on October 27

If you’ve been in the market for OnePlus One,...

BlackBerry Priv sales out

BlackBerry (BBRY) is a mobile company that has been...
- Advertisement -

Discover more from EwtNet

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading