How To Delete A Telegram Account
There were a couple of issues revolving this year about Telegram, since the public found out that the app uses end-to-end encryption only for secret chats by default, but not for regular chats.
Since this news came to the surface, users have been constantly leaving Telegram since secure messaging isn’t what the app is offering.
The Telegram account can be deleted in a few short steps, so keep reading to find out how you can do this through your iPhone, Android or from a Desktop computer.
How to delete a Telegram account from a desktop
Telegram’s default deletion setting works like this:
you set your account to be automatically deleted after some time, could be 1, 3, 6 months. But, Telegram has created a shortcut to the process.
Follow these steps to delete your account from the web browser to go through with the deactivation process:
- There’s a special link, Telegram deactivation page, where you’ll need to enter your phone number, or the phone number connected to the Telegram account. Make sure to enter the country code as well.
- Open your Telegram app, where a code will be sent to you.
- Go back to the website, and enter the confirmation code you received in the required field.
- After filling the field, click on ‘Delete my Account’
- You will be asked to confirm that you’re sure you want to delete the account permanently. Click on ‘Yes, delete my account’ if you want to go through with the deletion.
This is the final step, after doing this, your account will no longer exist.
How to delete a Telegram account from an iPhone
When using a mobile version of the app, you won’t be able to delete your account permanently in quick steps as when using the web browser. The app however, offers self-destruction settings.
Here’s what you can do:
- Open the app on your phone, and click on ‘Settings’ in the bottom right corner.
- Scroll down to ‘Privacy and Security’
- Scroll down, the last option is ‘If away for…’
- A drop-down menu will show up, giving you a few alternatives: 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. What this means is, after the timing you’ve selected, your account will be permanently removed from the platform.
- If you want to remove your account as soon as possible, click on the first option - 1 month. After being away from the app for 1 month, your account will be erased.
How to delete a Telegram account from an Android
Same as with iOS users, deleting your account from your phone will not be as fast as when doing it from the web, you won’t be offered the option to delete your account right away.
Follow these steps to delete your account:
- Open the app on your phone, navigate to ‘Settings’ in the left-hand corner.
- After opening ‘Settings’, navigate ‘Privacy and Security’.
- Click on ‘If Away For…’ and select which option works best for you - 1, 3, 6 or 12 months.
After the time you’ve selected has passed, your account will be permanently deleted.
Are there alternative apps offering the same features as Telegram?
Yes, there are several. Since Telegram turned out to be not as safe as the public thought it was, there are apps offering end-to-end encryption as a default setting, several of those being: Signal, Viber, WhatsApp, Threema ($3.99), Silent Phone ($9.95), Wire, Wickr Me, Silence, Pryvate Now.
Most of the above-mentioned apps are free, Signal, Viber and WhatsApp are some of the more popular ones and widely used, meaning the chances of your contacts having and using these apps are bigger.
Try some of them out and see which one works best for you. Most of these have good reviews and are available on the App Store, as well as on Google Play.
If you are in the process of social media cleanse and looking to take a break from other apps and social media, check out how to delete your Twitter account, temporarily deactivate your Instagram account or permanently delete your TikTok account.
