How to Start an Encrypted Secret Chat in Telegram

Unlike Signal, Telegram chats aren’t end-to-end encrypted. You only get server-side encryption by default. But if you want full encryption, you need to enter a separate Secret Chat mode. Here’s how to start an encrypted Secret Chat in Telegram. When it comes to security and privacy, Telegram is much better than popular messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Telegram is open-source, and all of its code is available online for verification by security experts.

Secret Chat mode only works for one-on-one conversations and not for groups (of any size). Once you enter Secret Chat mode, Telegram enables end-to-end encryption. This means that only you and the recipient can read the messages, as they are only stored on your devices and not on Telegram’s servers. No one else can access or decipher the messages, including Telegram.

Messages in Secret Chat can’t be forwarded, and if you take a screenshot, the recipient is notified about it. When you delete a message, it’s deleted for both users. Because Secret Chat messages are device-specific, they are only available on the device you start the chat with. If you log out of the current device, you will lose out on the Secret Chat, too. And once you delete the conversation, all the messages from the conversation will disappear as well.

Once the Secret Chat begins, you can chat like you always do. Optionally, you can enable a self-destruct timer (like Instagram or WhatsApp), where all messages will disappear after a set time once the message has been displayed on the recipient’s screen.

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How to Import WhatsApp Chat History Into Telegram for iPhone

WhatsApp’s backup and restore feature is very limited. It doesn’t even work between Android and iPhone without a third-party tool. But Telegram has an import feature that lets you transfer conversations from other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line, and KaKaoTalk on a per-chat basis. While this sounds tedious, it gets the job done. In this guide, we will be focussing on WhatsApp.

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