Some while back, I was so in love with Whatsapp to the point that I created a video exalting it, and it remains one of my more popular video on youtube.
I still use Whatsapp since a lot of my contacts still use it, but I feel that once you’ve start using Telegram, you’ll never look back.
Initially, I used Telegram mainly to communicate with my faction members since you could have up to 200 contacts in a group. But it’s fast becoming something that I use with my friends and family members – it’s a lot more convenient.
Search function
Once you’ve downloaded the app, you could start searching for your friends. Friends already on your SIM card who are using Telegram would automatically added to your list, but on top of that, there is a global search function on Telegram. You search for a name or a username and start chatting with them. There is no need to have their phone numbers. You could also block people that you’re not familiar with, if needed.
At first glance, the interface looks very similar to WhatsApp, but you’ll soon see subtle differences :
You can use it on various platforms
Android? iPhone? Windows Phones? No problem. It could also be installed in PCs Macs and Linux and even a web browser for when you’re using a guest computer.
Having Telegram on the PC is great for me since I type a lot faster on the computer than on the phone.
You can send voice notes, photos, videos, and files of all types
If it can be digitised, it can be sent through Telegram. I’ve sent various types of files including pdf, and it’s not a big issue as the file is stored on the cloud and can be opened at any time, when I’m at the computer.
You can have secure conversations
For privacy reasons, you can have a secret chat with another person. This conversation can only be sent and read on your smartphone. There, none of the messages you send will be stored on the server and none of them can be forwarded to another party.
At any time you wish, the messages can be destroyed at any time. And you’ll know if the other party makes a screenshot of the conversation.
You could tag people
This is a function where you could tag someone via replies, mentions and hashtags in a conversation.
The person will see a notification on their phone. I find this useful when I’m in a large group where I might miss seeing an important message without this function.
You could share location
On top of telling your friends where you are, you could up the ante and share your position with your friends. Here, they could open the link to see a map of where you are and how far away they are. On the PC, it opens up to Google Maps. For me this is handy when you want to meet a friend in a place where you’re not familiar with.
On top of that, you could also share the position of a facility of up to 500 metres away from where you are – a pizzeria, a pharmacy, or any notable spots.
Everything is stored in the cloud.
Which means that you have access to chat history and whatever media in the group that you’re in. Regardless if you changed phones or computers, the data stays with you and you can look back and read the happy memories whenever you like.
And it’s all free!
No need to pay a dollar a year, there isn’t even any ads. Telegram is a breath of fresh air and is open source app funded by a generous Pavel Durov.
This is the founder for Telegram and he is 30 years old. Oh my.
Last thoughts
At this point of time, it seems that WhatsApp is playing catch up with Telegram and updated themselves to also include position as well as to have a web version.
But I personally think that Telegram is a dynamic team and are able to think up of new ideas on updating and improving their app. At the moment for example, they’ve included “sticker packs” as well as bots. I find them cute when used in moderation.
Since I’ve used Telegram, I’ve enjoyed it so much that when I’m forced to used other chat programs, I keep wondering to myself, “Why do I have to go back to using that again?”
I look forward to seeing what new things Telegram will bring 🙂
Telegram claims they are secure. Their protocol isn’t open and the crypto they use isn’t standard. It’s something they invented. I disagree that Telegram is more secure than WhatsApp