Telegram Secret chats: What they are, how to use, and more

Telegram Secret chats

Telegram offers a feature which is rather unique and all about privacy. Called Secret chats, it is — as Telegram describes — meant for people who “want more secrecy than the average fella”.

All messages in secret chats use end-to-end encryption. This means only you and the recipient can read those messages — nobody else can decipher them, including Telegram. Furthermore, Messages cannot be forwarded from secret chats. And when you delete messages on your side of the conversation, the app on the other side of the secret chat will be ordered to delete them as well.

Messages in Secret Chats use client-client encryption, while Cloud Chats use client-server/server-client encryption and are stored encrypted in the Telegram Cloud.

Taking screenshots of Secret chats is also a bit different. “We will make every effort to alert you about screenshots taken in your Secret Chats, but it may still be possible to bypass such notifications and take screenshots silently,” says Telegram.

To start a Secret chat on Telegram, follow these steps:

• Launch the Telegram app on your device.
• Search for the contact you want to start a Secret Chat with.
• Tap on the contact's name to start a new chat.
• Look for the "Secret Chat" option (usually represented by a lock icon) and tap on it.

Do keep in mind that all secret chats in Telegram are device-specific and are not part of the Telegram cloud. So if you want to access messages in a secret chat from their device of origin. They are safe for as long as your device is safe in your pocket, says Telegram.