Since WhatsApp announced that it was going to change its privacy conditions to transfer information to Facebook, many users have decided to switch apps to exchange messages with their friends and family.
There are several alternative apps to WhatsApp, but Telegram seems to have become one of the ideal replacement candidate apps for the vast majority.
In fact, since WhatsApp formalized its new policy, Telegram’s downloads have increased in the next two days to reach an additional 2.2 million. All of this shows the dissatisfaction of WhatsApp users with the decision of the virtual messaging company.
Now, if you’ve been using WhatsApp your whole life (or since it’s been around), it may be difficult for you to get used to another app like Telegram. Although they are quite similar, there are a few differences between WhatsApp and Telegram.
Below we offer you a step by step step so that you can get your new Telegram account up and running smoothly and most importantly, you can get the most out of it.
How to create an account on Telegram
The first thing to do is download the app. You can do this for free on Google Play if you are using Android or in the App Store if you are using iPhone.
When you open the app, you will need to allow the app to access your calls and then enter your phone number. Then you will have to continue to accept the permissions, proof that none of these apps will respect your privacy one hundred percent.
When you present your phone number you will receive an SMS code from check that you will need to enter to continue. The next step will be to put your name (mandatory) and first name (only if you wish), as well as a profile picture.
You will see that when you try to upload a photo, you will have to grant permission again, this time for your photos and files on the device.
The famous screen will appear on the “Privacy & Terms”. Take a look to see what information Telegram stores (phone number, user ID, contacts and account name). It stores your conversations in all chats in the “Telegram cloud”, so it does not use third party servers, it also says to encrypt messages.
After accepting the privacy conditions, your Telegram account will be operational. Now you just have to start using it.
How to start using Telegram
As you have given access to your contacts, the app will show you the list of people you have saved in Telegram’s contact book.
In the drop-down menu that appears when you touch the hamburger in the upper left corner, you will find all the options you need to be able to use Telegram.
New group
To create a group chat. Simply press “New group” and select from your contacts those you want to be part of this group. When you create the group, you will need to choose a name for the group, plus a profile picture if you wish.
Telegram groups can have up to 200,000 different members, group administrators (who will initially create the group) will have different privileges such as the ability to add or remove people from the group.
Private Chat
To start a private chat with someone, just find their contact and write whatever you want. Unlike WhatsApp, only one check in your message when sent and two when read.
Emojis are also different in Telegram, in this case they are bigger and when you send them they appear moving.
Like in WhatsApp, you can send files, photos (taken directly with the camera or downloaded from your gallery), your location (if you give it access to the app), a contact or music.
Calls
Yes, you can also make calls for free. It is recommended to be connected to a Wi-Fi network or have unlimited data rate as calls usually use a lot of data.
If the other person has Telegram, find their name and tap the call icon to start the conversation.
As you accumulate calls, your call history will build up – both those you rejected, those you didn’t have time to take, or those you answered.
Saved messages
Telegram works as a cloud storage system. In the “Saved Messages” menu section you will find a space to send the files or messages you want to store.
You will be able to access these files from your Telegram account from any device.
People nearby
This is one of the functions that differentiates Telegram from WhatsApp. If you are looking to socialize and / or meet new people, you can use the “People Nearby” tool.
You will need to agree that Telegram can access your location and then a list of people nearby who have Telegram will appear. You will only appear in this list to other people if you wish, by pressing the “Make visible” option.
Then you will see a message explaining that users who are nearby will be able to see your profile and send you messages. It also warns you that while it can help you find new friends, it can also get too much attention.
It should be noted that you can deactivate this option again whenever you wish.
If you scroll down to the “ People Nearby ” section, you will see group chats in your area which in my case didn’t seem like very reliable groups.
We take this opportunity to recommend that you never share personal information with strangers, such as your address or bank details.
Settings
In this section you can configure your preferences. For example, you can dedicate 70 characters to writing a mini bio so that other users can see it.
You will also be able to choose your notifications and sounds settings or customize your privacy and security preferences (we recommend that you take a look at this section to find out what the app has access to).
On the other hand, it is interesting to know that you can choose the background colors of your cat, if you prefer the corners of the bubbles more or less rounded or if you prefer to activate the night mode.
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