Telegram doesn’t come with automatic end-to-end encryption for its messages, to chat with someone privately you’ll have to use Telegram secret chat. It is just like Messenger’s secret conversation, it helps to keep the company from reading your messages.
Popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal have a default end-to-end encryption model that helps keep anyone from accessing your messages. The messages can only be read by you and the recipient.
If you use Telegram secret chat, the company won’t be able to track and see your messages. Your message will remain private to you, and the person you’re sending it to. You can also enable a two-step verification process to protect your account from unauthorized access.
Secret chat in Telegram only works for one-on-one conversations and not for groups. Once you start secret chat mode only you and the recipient can read the messages, as they are only stored on your devices and not on Telegram’s servers.
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How to use Telegram secret chat
You can use the secret chat in Telegram for both iPhone and Android, the process is pretty much the same.
Open the Telegram app on your Android or iPhone device, and find the chat you want to start a secret chat with.
On Telegram app
1. If you’re using the Telegram app you can see Start Secret Chat at the bottom of the recipient page.
2. Once you click on Start Secret Chat a confirmation window appear, then, click on the Start button to use Telegram secret chat with your contact.
On Telegram X
1. If you’re using Telegram X, open a chat and tap on the name. Then tap the three dots at the top right corner.
2. Then click on “Start secret chat” to start sending encrypted end-to-end messages on your Telegram account.
On iPhone
1. On iPhone, once you open the contact you want to start a secret chat with, click on their name, then click on the more button.
2. From the pop-up, select the “Start Secret Chat” then select “Start” to confirm.
How to enable self-destruct message on Telegram
If you want to make your messages in secret chat disappear after a certain time, you can enable self-destruct timer. This feature makes it easy to pass vital information and get deleted after certain seconds, hours, minutes, days, or weeks. Once it’s enabled all messages from that time will follow the self-destruct rules.
1. On your Android device, from the secret conversation chat tap on the three dots at the top right corner.
2. Then click on “Set self-destruct timer” to select the time you want the message to disappear, you can choose between seconds, hours, days, and weeks, then tap Done to set it.
On Telegram X, you can see the stopwatch on the toolbar, tap on it and select your preferred time.
On iPhone
Tap the stopwatch icon from the text box. Then, select the self-destruct timer that you want to set. You can set it from one hour to one week. Tap “Done” after selecting your timer.
How to exit secret chat in Telegram
If you want to stop the secret conversation you’ll have to delete the secret chat.
1. Tap and hold the Secret Chat, after the toolbar appears click on the trash icon.
2. On the pop-up window tap on Delete Chat to remove the conversation from your Telegram account.
On iPhone
Go to the conversations view in Telegram and swipe left on the conversation. Tap the Delete button. From the pop-up, tap on the Delete Chat button to confirm.
If you haven’t already set up two-step verification for your Telegram account you can do it now.
With the Telegram secret chat, you can enable messages to disappear after every 5 minutes you send a message. And you can password-protect (only on Telegram X) the chat by clicking on the three dots at the top right corner of your screen and tapping on “Passcode Lock.” If you want to see more features and use the messaging seamlessly try the Telegram X version.
