Question 1

What is Plusgram / Telegram and what can I use it for?

Accepted Answer

Plusgram is a messaging client built on the Telegram API, focused on speed, security, and multi-device sync. You can use it on phones, tablets, desktop computers, and the web while keeping the same account in sync. It supports private chats, groups, channels, file sharing, and voice or video calls, which makes it suitable for both everyday communication and team collaboration. In Chinese-speaking communities, Telegram is also commonly referred to as “paper airplane” or “telegram”, which comes from the app icon and local naming habits.

Question 2

How do I download Plusgram / Telegram? Why can't I find Telegram in the Apple App Store?

Accepted Answer

You can use the download links on the home page to choose the correct version for Android, iPhone, Windows, macOS, or the web. If Telegram does not appear in the China App Store on iPhone, it usually means the app is not currently available in that regional store. In that case, use another supported entry point listed on the site. Before installing, make sure your device and system version are compatible. On Android, if an older Telegram build is already installed, you may need to remove it before installing a new package.

Question 3

How can I get technical support?

Accepted Answer

If you run into issues with downloading, installation, login, or daily use, start by checking the relevant FAQ topic first. If the issue remains unresolved, contact customer service or technical support through the contact information provided on the official site. When asking for help, include your device type, operating system version, and any error message you see. That usually makes troubleshooting much faster.

Question 4

Why am I not receiving the SMS verification code?

Accepted Answer

Missing verification codes are usually related to regional restrictions, carrier filtering, unstable networks, or too many repeated code requests in a short time. If you are already logged in on another device, Telegram may send the login code to the official in-app chat on that device instead of sending it by SMS. First confirm that your phone number is entered in international format, your network is stable, and your SMS service is working normally. Avoid requesting the code too many times in a row. For mainland China +86 numbers, delivery can be less reliable. In that case, wait and try again later, and make sure email recovery and two-step verification are configured once you log in successfully.

Question 5

How should I enter my phone number when logging in?

Accepted Answer

Enter the full international format, for example: `+ country code + area or carrier code + phone number`. If the country code or number format is incorrect, the system may not deliver the verification code or may reject the login request. If registration or login keeps failing, check the number format first and then confirm that your network environment is stable.

Question 6

Why do I sometimes receive the code by phone call?

Accepted Answer

In some cases, the system may offer a voice call that reads out the verification code as a fallback to SMS delivery. This is usually only available under certain security conditions, for example when two-step verification is enabled or when the SMS channel is temporarily unavailable. Telegram accounts still rely on mobile phone numbers, and landline numbers are not a standard long-term registration option.

Question 7

Why is the login code sent inside Telegram instead of by SMS?

Accepted Answer

If your account was recently active on another device, the new login code may be delivered to the official Telegram chat on that signed-in device instead of by SMS. Open Telegram on the device that is already logged in and check the message from the official verified account. This is a normal security mechanism that gives priority to devices that have already been verified. If your phone number has changed, update your account information as soon as possible. Otherwise you may keep access on an old device for a while but lose the ability to recover the account later.

Question 8

Why are notifications not working properly on Android?

Accepted Answer

Check the in-app “Notifications and Sounds” settings first and make sure notifications are enabled with a high enough priority level. Then confirm in Android system settings that notification permission has not been disabled and that the related contact, group, or channel has not been muted. If your phone uses battery-saving tools, background restrictions, auto-start controls, or security manager apps, add Plusgram / Telegram to the allowlist so the system does not stop it in the background. Some Android brands, especially Huawei and Xiaomi, apply stricter background limits. In those cases you may also need to manually allow auto-start, background activity, and protected app access.

Question 9

What is Telegram?

Accepted Answer

Telegram is an instant messaging platform focused on speed, cross-device sync, and privacy controls. It supports private chats, groups, channels, file sharing, and voice and video calls. Plusgram is a client built on the Telegram API and remains compatible with Telegram's core communication ecosystem.

Question 10

Who is it for?

Accepted Answer

Telegram is suitable for personal messaging, cross-region communication, team collaboration, community operations, and users who need multi-device sync and large file transfers. If you need channels, groups, bots, or an open API, Telegram is usually a good fit for those use cases as well.

Question 11

How is it different from WhatsApp?

Accepted Answer

Telegram puts more emphasis on cloud sync, multi-device access, very large groups, channels, bots, and an open API. WhatsApp is more centered around phone-number contacts and default end-to-end encryption, while Telegram offers both regular cloud chats and optional secret chats.

Question 12

How long has Telegram been around?

Accepted Answer

Telegram officially launched in 2013, has been operating for years, and continues to expand its messaging, community, payments, bot, and content distribution capabilities.

Question 13

Is this feature available on my device?

Accepted Answer

Most core features are available on Android, iPhone, desktop, and web, but rollout timing and limitations can vary by platform. If you cannot find a feature on your device, first make sure your client is up to date and then check whether that platform already supports it.

Question 14

Who is behind Telegram?

Accepted Answer

Telegram was founded by Pavel Durov and is backed by a distributed international team rather than a product, infrastructure, and moderation organization concentrated in one country. Telegram has long emphasized that its team stays relatively lean and relies on global deployment to improve resilience and availability.

Question 15

Where is Telegram based?

Accepted Answer

Telegram has long operated with a distributed-team model instead of relying on a single traditional headquarters. Public information usually focuses on its global and distributed infrastructure and collaboration model rather than one specific office location.

Question 16

How do you make money?

Accepted Answer

Telegram's monetization mainly comes from Premium subscriptions, its advertising platform, usernames and digital asset ecosystems, and value-added tools for creators and businesses. For a long time, Telegram emphasized building user scale and product quality first, then gradually developing a sustainable revenue model.

Question 17

What is your view on internet privacy?

Accepted Answer

Telegram has consistently treated privacy, freedom of communication, and user control as core principles, stressing that users should have finer-grained permissions and less irrelevant tracking. At the same time, regular cloud chats and secret chats use different security models, so sensitive conversations should prioritize secret chats and two-step verification.

Question 18

What about GDPR?

Accepted Answer

When serving EU users, Telegram needs to follow relevant privacy and data protection requirements and provide a privacy policy, data control explanations, and account management options. If compliance matters to you, focus on its privacy policy, data export, account deletion, and permission control settings.

Question 19

Do you process takedown requests?

Accepted Answer

Telegram does process valid complaints and takedown requests, especially for public channels, usernames, bots, and copyright-related issues. In practice, the scope usually leans more toward public content; private chats are not the same as public platform pages.

Question 20

Do you process data requests?

Accepted Answer

Telegram handles lawful data requests according to applicable law, its privacy policy, and internal procedures, while long maintaining a stronger privacy stance for ordinary private chats. The real response scope is usually limited by jurisdiction, the legality of the request, and the type of data involved.

Question 21

Who can I message?

Accepted Answer

You can message contacts in your address book, users who have usernames, group members, channel admins, or people who share an invite entry point with you. In some cases, if the other person has stricter privacy settings enabled, you may not be able to message them directly.

Question 22

Who can message me?

Accepted Answer

By default, people who know your phone number or username, or who share a group with you, may be able to contact you. You can use privacy settings to limit who can see your phone number, add you to groups, call you, and so on.

Question 23

Does Telegram send verification codes to other apps?

Accepted Answer

Telegram login codes are only sent by SMS, voice call, or an official Telegram conversation on an already signed-in device. They are not delivered through third-party chat apps. If you see a so-called Telegram verification notice inside another app, treat it as a possible impersonation or phishing attempt.

Question 24

Who has Telegram?

Accepted Answer

Whether someone “has Telegram” depends on whether they have registered an account with that phone number. If a contact in your address book has already joined Telegram, the system will usually show them as available when allowed.

Question 25

Invite friends

Accepted Answer

You can invite people through the in-app contact invite flow, by sharing download links, by sending group invite links, or by directly sending a channel or username link. Before inviting someone, it is best to confirm their platform so you do not send the wrong Android, iPhone, or desktop entry point.

Question 26

What do the check marks in Telegram mean?

Accepted Answer

Usually one check mark means the message has reached Telegram's servers, while two check marks mean the other device has received or read it, although the exact behavior can vary by chat type. In groups, channels, or privacy-restricted scenarios, the meaning of the check marks may not be exactly the same as in one-to-one chats.

Question 27

Can I hide my last seen time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Telegram lets you control who can see your last seen time and online status. If you hide it from everyone, the system will usually also hide the precise online times of some other users from you.

Question 28

Who can see that I am online?

Accepted Answer

That depends on your privacy settings. You can allow everyone, contacts only, or nobody to see your online status, and you can also configure exceptions. The more private your setting is, the more vague your visible status becomes to others.

Question 29

Can I delete my messages?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Telegram lets you delete messages you sent, and in many situations it also lets you remove them from both sides of the conversation. Behavior can vary slightly across groups, channels, bots, and local notifications, but overall Telegram offers strong message deletion controls.

Question 30

Voice, video, and group calls

Accepted Answer

Telegram supports one-to-one voice and video calls as well as group voice chats and live broadcast style sessions. Availability may be affected by device performance, network conditions, regional restrictions, and client version.

Question 31

Using emojis

Accepted Answer

Telegram supports system emoji, stickers, animated emoji, and reactions, although the interface varies slightly by platform. If you use Premium or a newer client version, you will usually also see more animation effects and expanded emoji features.

Question 32

What is great about Telegram groups?

Accepted Answer

Telegram groups support very large member counts, admin permissions, slow mode, bots, topics, polls, pinned messages, and multiple anti-spam controls. That makes them useful both for close-knit groups and for large public communities, operations teams, and interest-based discussions.

Question 33

What is the difference between channels and groups?

Accepted Answer

Groups are better for interactive discussions where members can speak and reply under the configured rules. Channels are closer to one-way broadcasting or publishing tools, usually managed by admins or creators, and are better suited to announcements, information feeds, and operations.

Question 34

Create a group

Accepted Answer

Inside the app, choose the option to create a new group, then set the name, avatar, and initial members. After that, you can continue configuring admins, invite links, permissions, moderation rules, and topics.

Question 35

Add members and use invite links

Accepted Answer

You can add members directly from your contacts or create invite links so people can join on their own. If the group is fairly public, it is a good idea to enable approval, limit new-member permissions, or use one-time links to reduce spam account joins.

Question 36

What is a username, and how do I get one?

Accepted Answer

A username is your public Telegram identifier, for example `@example`. Other people can find you through it without necessarily knowing your phone number. You can request an available username in your profile settings.

Question 37

What are collectible usernames, and how are they different from normal usernames?

Accepted Answer

Regular usernames are mainly used to identify accounts, groups, or channels, while collectible usernames are closer to scarce digital identifiers that can be held or traded. They usually carry stronger brand and asset characteristics, and the rules that apply to them are different from ordinary usernames.

Question 38

How does t.me work?

Accepted Answer

t.me is Telegram's short-link system for usernames, groups, channels, bots, sticker packs, and even specific message entry points. For example, `t.me/username` opens the corresponding Telegram page directly on supported devices.

Question 39

What can I use as a username?

Accepted Answer

Usernames usually consist of letters, numbers, and underscores, and they must meet minimum-length and availability requirements. To avoid confusion, some reserved words, policy-violating terms, or names closely associated with official entities may not be available.

Question 40

Do I need a username?

Accepted Answer

No. Even without a username, you can still use Telegram through your phone number and contact relationships. But if you want people to find you more easily without exposing your phone number directly, setting a username is the better choice.

Question 41

Will others see my phone number?

Accepted Answer

Visibility depends on your privacy settings. You can allow everyone, contacts only, or nobody to see your phone number. If you interact through usernames without saving each other's numbers, you can usually avoid exposing your number directly.

Question 42

How do I delete my username?

Accepted Answer

Go to your profile or the settings for the relevant channel or group, clear the username field, and save the change. After deletion, the username is released, but whether it becomes immediately available again still depends on Telegram's internal rules.

Question 43

What if my username is already taken?

Accepted Answer

You can try a different spelling, add a brand suffix, or choose another recognizable variation. If the case involves legitimate brand protection or serious impersonation, you usually need to file a complaint through Telegram's official channels.

Question 44

What if someone is impersonating me?

Accepted Answer

First preserve evidence such as the username, profile screenshots, links, and chat history, then submit a report through Telegram's reporting or complaint tools. If it involves brand abuse, reputation, or scam risks, it is also wise to warn others publicly so they do not get tricked.

Question 45

How secure is Telegram?

Accepted Answer

Telegram includes extensive design work around account permissions, client-side controls, distributed infrastructure, and communication protection, but different chat types do not use the same security model. Regular cloud chats emphasize multi-device sync and service availability, while secret chats are better suited to situations that require stronger end-to-end protection.

Question 46

How is data encrypted?

Accepted Answer

Telegram uses encryption at the transport and service architecture layers, and different types of data are protected in different ways. If you need end-to-end encryption, use secret chats, because regular cloud chats are not end-to-end encrypted by default.

Question 47

Why should I trust you?

Accepted Answer

No communication service should be judged only by “trust the marketing.” What matters more is the security architecture, privacy settings, protocol design, track record, and whether users get verifiable control. In practice, users are better served by enabling two-step verification, checking active sessions, using strong passwords, and using secret chats in sensitive scenarios.

Question 48

Do I need to trust Telegram for it to be secure?

Accepted Answer

You should not rely on a vague sense of trust alone. It is more important to understand the product's security boundaries, such as which chats are cloud-synced and which are end-to-end encrypted. Only when you understand those boundaries can you make the right choice for different scenarios.

Question 49

What if my hacker friend is suspicious of Telegram?

Accepted Answer

Technical skepticism is normal. For security products, the better approach is to discuss protocols, client implementations, public documentation, and threat models rather than relying on slogans. If your use case is highly sensitive, consider the chat type, device security, account protection, and your operating habits together.

Question 50

Can Telegram protect me from everything?

Accepted Answer

No. No tool can replace security awareness, device security, and good habits. Telegram can help reduce some risks, but account leaks, phishing links, malicious bots, weak passwords, and screenshot leaks still require active user caution.

Question 51

How does two-step verification work?

Accepted Answer

After you enable two-step verification, the system requires an extra password that you set in addition to the SMS or login code. That means even if someone obtains your login code, they still cannot easily take over your account. It is also recommended to bind a recovery email.

Question 52

What is Cocoon?

Accepted Answer

“Cocoon” usually refers to a Telegram protection mechanism or feature name used in privacy and security enhancement scenarios to reduce exposure and harden sensitive actions. If you see this term in your client, check the release notes for that version first, because the exact capabilities may change as the product evolves.

Question 53

Do Telegram AI features upload data to third parties?

Accepted Answer

Whether third parties are involved depends on the specific AI feature, its deployment model, and the product description at the time. Before using any AI feature, check its privacy notice to confirm whether the data is processed locally, by Telegram, or by an external model provider.

Question 54

What AI models does Telegram use?

Accepted Answer

This can change over time as features and versions evolve, and Telegram does not always publish one fixed list of models across all feature pages. If a specific AI capability matters to you, rely on the official announcement or documentation for that feature when it launches.

Question 55

What are secret chats?

Accepted Answer

Secret chats are Telegram's end-to-end encrypted conversation mode. They are stored only on the participating devices and do not sync across devices like regular cloud chats. They are better suited to more sensitive conversations and also support extra protections such as self-destruct timers.

Question 56

Start a secret chat

Accepted Answer

In supported clients, you can usually find the option to start a secret chat from the target contact's profile page. Secret chats are device-level sessions, so they need to be created separately on each device.

Question 57

Use a self-destruct timer

Accepted Answer

In a secret chat, you can set messages to self-destruct after a chosen amount of time once they have been viewed. This helps reduce the risk of sensitive content remaining on devices for too long.

Question 58

Screenshot alerts

Accepted Answer

On some platforms and in some chat types, Telegram tries to notify the other party when a screenshot is taken, but full blocking or full notification depends on what the operating system allows. So even if this protection is present, screenshot alerts should not be treated as an absolute anti-leak mechanism.

Question 59

Encryption key visualization

Accepted Answer

The key image is a visual way for both sides of a secret chat to verify that they are using the same encryption key. If both sides see the same image, it usually indicates that the key has not been unexpectedly replaced in the middle.

Question 60

Why not make all chats secret?

Accepted Answer

Regular cloud chats and secret chats serve different needs. Regular chats prioritize multi-device sync, recoverable history, and convenience; secret chats prioritize end-to-end encryption and device-local storage. If every chat were turned into a secret chat, Telegram would lose much of its cross-device user experience.

Question 61

Who can see my phone number?

Accepted Answer

That is controlled by your privacy settings. You can make your number visible to everyone, to contacts only, or hide it completely. If you care a lot about phone-number exposure, it is a good idea to use a username as your main public contact point.

Question 62

I changed my phone number. What should I do?

Accepted Answer

Use Telegram's “Change Number” feature as soon as possible instead of deleting the old account and registering again from scratch. That gives you the best chance of preserving your contacts, group identity, and account continuity.

Question 63

Log out of Telegram

Accepted Answer

You can view active sessions in settings and manually log out of the current device or other devices. If a device is lost or you suspect someone else is using your account, immediately terminate the other sessions and change your two-step verification password.

Question 64

Change your phone number

Accepted Answer

After entering account settings, use the change-number feature and the system will ask you to verify the new number. After completion, the account itself usually stays the same, but the bound number is updated to the new one.

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