WhatsApp has received a reaction from users after making it necessary to comply with the new privacy policy which allows data sharing with Facebook. If you deleted your WhatsApp account, you might be looking for new WhatsApp alternatives. Ideally, the 2 best alternatives for WhatsApp are Signal and Telegram. Today we are going to discuss the transition from WhatsApp to Telegram.
Switch from WhatsApp to Telegram
If this is your first time hearing about Telegram, or if you’ve never tried the app before, here’s everything you need to know to use the messaging service. This should give an idea of how Telegram is better than WhatsApp and what you get if you move. Having said that, let’s get started.
Why should I quit WhatsApp?
Let’s put that aside. WhatsApp’s revised privacy policy requires you to let the company share data with other Facebook companies such as Facebook, Onavo, Facebook Technologies (Oculus) and CrowdTangle payments.
“As a member of Facebook companies, WhatsApp receives information and shares information (see here) with other Facebook companies. We may use the information we receive from them, and they may use the information we share with them, to help operate, provide, improve, understand, personalize, support, and market our services and their offerings, including products. of the company Facebook ”, lit privacy policy.
According to WhatsApp, the company shares the following information with Facebook and other companies owned by Facebook:
- phone number
- transaction data
- service information,
- information about how you interact with others when using Facebook services
- mobile device information
- your IP address
However, WhatsApp also adds that it “may include other information identified in the Privacy Policy section titled Information We Collect”. This section includes even more details like your contacts in the address book, status information, payment data, to name a few. Although WhatsApp cannot access your messages, thanks to end-to-end encryption, it collects a lot of data that is not really needed to make the service work.
Additionally, according to WhatsApp’s App Store listing, the company links the following data to your identity:
- Purchases
- financial informations
- Location
- Contact information
- Contacts
- User content
- Identifiers
- Usage data
- Diagnostic
Create an account on Telegram
Telegram is available on all major platforms including Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and Web. You can create a Telegram account after install the app on the platform of your choice. Registering an account on Telegram requires an active phone number and you will need to verify your phone number during the account creation process. Once you’ve verified the number, you can add your name and get started.
Move personal chats to Telegram
Although it was not possible to import WhatsApp chats into Telegram before, Telegram recently introduced a chat import tool to help you seamlessly import WhatsApp chats into Telegram.
To use the tool, open a chat, tap More -> Export chat. You can also choose to move the media by pressing “Include media”. If you just want the messages without media files, you can press the “No media” button.
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In the share sheet that now appears, choose Telegram and tap the recipient’s chat from the recent messages list or search for it using the search box. After finding the right contact, press “Import”.
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Supported formats and limits
With Telegram, you can send messages, emojis, GIFs, stickers, animated stickers, and files. Unlike WhatsApp which limits videos to 16MB and documents to 100MB, you can send files up to 2 GB in size to Telegram. If this is your first time using Telegram, it will make a tangible difference in the way you share files with your friends. It’s also worth mentioning that you can make your own sticker pack to create wacky sticker packs. Oh, and did I tell you that you can set animated videos as your profile avatar?
One aspect that you should keep in mind while using Telegram is that the the application does not have end-to-end encryption by default, unlike WhatsApp. Make no mistake, chats are always encrypted using Telegram’s MTProto server-client encryption protocol. You can read more about how Telegram approaches encryption on the Company Explainer here. If you want that extra layer of security you should look at Telegram’s secret chats this offer end-to-end encryption.
To activate secret chats, open the chat window and tap the contact name. You will now be taken to the detailed conversation details page where you can view files that you have shared in the past. Here, tap on the vertical three-dot menu and choose ‘Start Secret Chat’. Telegram will now create a separate chat session with the same contact. On secret chats you can set a self-destruct timer ranging from 1 second to a week.
You should also note that the ability to forward messages is disabled on secret chats. While you can pick up where you left off on Telegram apps on all platforms, secret chats are limited to the device you initiate the session on. In other words, you cannot continue a secret chat on another Telegram app from the same account.
If you are not a big fan of WhatsApp’s dark mode and hate the fact that you cannot customize the theme, Telegram is here to welcome you with open arms. Telegram not only allows you to customize every aspect using a powerful theme engine, but also offers a way to export themes to share with your friends and family. You can change your discussion topic from Settings -> Chat Settings -> Color Themes.
Move group chats to Telegram
Just like personal chats, WhatsApp offers an Export button to extract a copy of group messages. Open the group from which you want to export messages and tap More-> Export chat. You can now specify whether you want to include media using the “Include media” option.
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Choose Telegram from the share sheet that now appears and tap on the new Telegram group. If you don’t have a new group, you can create a new group to import messages using the “Create a new group to import” option. Read on to find out how you can start a new group on Telegram the traditional way.
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Creation of a new group
To create a new group, tap the FAB pencil on the home page and tap New group.
Telegram will now prompt you to add participants and set a name and image for the group. Once you have done both, your new group will be created.
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Group privacy and link sharing
After creating the group, you have the option to set the group’s privacy to public or private. To change this setting, tap the pencil icon on the group description page and choose Group type. While the private group requires an invite link, any Telegram user can join your group through the search feature if you set it as public. Public groups have the option of getting a permanent link. Unless it’s an open source project or a discussion group on a topic of common interest, I recommend that you keep your group type private.
To share your group link with your friends and family, press the “Copy Link” button on the same page and paste it into your friend’s chat. Alternatively, you can tap Share link and send the invite link to your old WhatsApp group chat. Your friends can then join the group by tapping on the link.
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Administrator rights
Telegram offers granular controls to define the capabilities and limits of other administrators. If you grant administrator rights to another member of the group, you can choose whether they have the ability to edit group information, delete messages, ban users, invite users, pin messages, manage voice chats, add new admins or send anonymous messages. You also have the possibility to define a personalized title for certain administrators.
Switch to Telegram and take advantage of advanced messaging features
Telegram clearly has an advantage when it comes to the number of features it offers. Combined with the power of cloud chats, Telegram lets you carry on your conversations seamlessly across all devices without breaking a sweat. If you’re wondering how Telegram stacks up against WhatsApp and Signal, be sure to check out our in-depth WhatsApp vs Telegram vs Signal comparison which dives deep into features and privacy. You should also check out our compilation of Telegram tips and tricks for using the app like a pro.
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