How to Search for People Near You On Telegram?
Written by Emilija Anchevska Messaging
In 2019 Telegram introduced a new feature called “Add people nearby” that enables users to add new people to their Telegram contact list without a phone number.
By introducing this feature, users can share their phone numbers more easily and without shouting or having to exchange their phones physically.
Fast forward to 2020, Telegram updates this function to “People Nearby” 2.0, an upgrade that significantly resembles dating app profiles. Telegram said that the purpose of the "People Nearby" 2.0 update is to help people meet new friends, or arrange a last-minute date, for example, for Valentine's Day.
Nevertheless, If you were not familiar with this function in the first place, no worries this blog post will explain everything you need to know, starting from the basics to the advanced options this feature offers.
How to add contacts on Telegram with the “Add people nearby” function?
Follow these steps if you want to find new friends and add contacts using the "Add People Nearby" function:
- Open the Telegram app and open “Contacts”.
- Click on “Add people nearby”.
- Telegram will ask for access to use your location for this feature. Allow Telegram to access your location.
- Click on the contact that you want to add and at the end click “Done”.
Bonus tip: When you tap on the "Allow Access" option, Telegram will ask you to either ask you to only allow access when using the app or Deny Access. However, just because you allow Telegram access, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to be visible right away.
When you give Telegram permissions to your location and move to the next step, you'll be able to see all Telegram users near you that are also using the "Add people nearby" function. Also, just below the person's name, you can see how far away they are from your location.
What else can you do with the “Add people nearby” option?
Besides adding people that stand 100 feet away, Telegram’s feature allows its users to find and join nearby groups or location-based chats.
Just click on the “Add people nearby” feature and scroll down to find the nearby group chats. These are all groups created near your location. You can see some general information about the group such as, how many members each group has and how far the group was created from you.
Tap one of the chats to join a group. Also, when you enter a group, you can see the last thing that was mentioned. You can join the group by tapping the "Join" button. If you don’t see any groups you like, you can always create one yourself. To do that, tap on the "Create a Local Group" option.
Additionally, People nearby 2.0 functions somewhat similar to the ones dating apps have. If you tap on “Make myself visible”, this will display you to the Telegram users even after you close the app or move away from them. Furthermore, you can add age, photos, and a short bio to your Telegram profile.
This option can help you meet new people if you are open to that of course.
Furthermore, if you feel like an account is unsafe, you can always report it by pressing the report button in the contacts section.
Good to know: Apart from finding people near you, Telegram also allows you to create folders to easily manage conversations, edit already sent messages, and send scheduled messages in the future.
Wrap up
Understandably, not all people would be comfortable sharing their location with strangers near them. But if you don't mind it and want to meet new people near you, for example, if you have moved to another city and would like to make new friends, the "Add people nearby" might be a perfect option to find and meet fellow Telegram users.
