Telegram Gains New Auto-Delete Options, Expiring Invite Links, and More

Telegram Messenger is bringing new feature additions to its chat app, including new options for auto-delete messages, expiring invite links, and unlimited group numbers.

Telegram app
Like WhatsApp and Signal, auto-delete messages have been a staple Telegram feature for some time, but with the latest update, uses can enable an auto-delete timer that applies to all Telegram chats, so that messages are automatically erased for all participants either 24 hours or seven days after sending.

To enable the timer, press and hold a message, tap Select -> Clear Chat (top-left) -> Enable Auto-Delete. If you want to know how long is left before a message auto-deletes, simply press and hold it to invoke the contextual menu and look under the Delete option. It's worth noting that auto-delete only applies to messages sent after the timer is set, so earlier messages will stay in the chat history. Unlike in Secret Chats, the countdown starts when messages are sent, not read.

Elsewhere, there's a new Telegram widget for the Home Screen that shows a preview of recent messages, while a smaller widget shows names and profile pictures of Telegram friends that you've recently chatted to.

There are new features for chat groups, too, including a new Broadcast Groups option that allows groups close to the member limit (200,000) to allow unlimited members. When converting to a Broadcast Group, only admins can send messages, but members can still join voice chats. Telegram says the feature should be "ideal for large communities, where people can follow along and catch exclusive interviews, news, or just casual talks."

Also new in this update are expiring invite links, which can be set to expire after a certain number of users, a certain amount of time, or both. Telegram says the links are an ideal way to bring any number of new members into a group; the links can be converted into a scannable QR Code for use in different contexts. They also allow you to see which users joined using each invite link, making it possible to find out where new members came from or which format has been most effective for growth.

The new features follow a recent influx of chat app users away from WhatsApp and into the welcoming arms of rival platforms like Telegram and Signal. Many users left WhatsApp after the Facebook-owned platform made a hash of explaining its upcoming privacy policy changes, which many people mistakenly interpreted as an admission from the company that their messages would no longer be completely private on the service.

Like WhatsApp, Telegram chats are encrypted. However, it's worth pointing out a distinction between Secret chats and Cloud chats on Telegram. Secret chats are end-to-end encrypted and never under any circumstances get backed up.

Cloud chats are encrypted in the same way, but they get backed up, which means Telegram's servers do have access to the encryption key, although the company says it has never disclosed private data to third-parties from its cloud. For more information on the differences between the two chats, check out Telegram's detailed explainer.

Telegram is a free download for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

adamw Avatar
40 months ago
Always welcome to receive new feature updates for Telegram.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TehFalcon Avatar
40 months ago
Loving the widget.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
justperry Avatar
40 months ago
Problem is convincing family/friends to install and using Telegram or any other messaging app.

I wanted to get a rid of Whatsapp a few years back, some even got "hostile" towards me, telling them how evil Facebook was/is fell on deaf ears.
I will delete whatsapp as soon as I have to agree to the terms, not going to, so, within a few months Whatsapp is history for me.

I wish they (governments) demand a split-up.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
40 months ago

Problem is convincing family/friends to install and using Telegram or any other messaging app.

I wanted to get a rid of Whatsapp a few years back, some even got "hostile" towards me, telling them how evil Facebook was/is fell on deaf ears.
I will delete whatsapp as soon as I have to agree to the terms, not going to, so, within a few months Whatsapp is history for me.

I wish they (governments) demand a split-up.
I got the similar thing since I joined Telegram - the day WA got sold. Slowly people have been moving across then in January a near tidal wave of them joined! It was amazing. There are a handful who still won't do it, one claiming they tried it and found that Telegram has a murky feeling to it, compared to the warm feeling WhatsApp has. (???!!)

I said the warm fuzzy feeling was probably Zuckerbergs breath, around their neck. They didn't seem amused.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
peneaux Avatar
40 months ago
Telegram is amazingly fast and smooth. But not having E2E encryption by default sucks. Signal is better. You might have less features but it's more secure.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
firewire9000 Avatar
40 months ago
And for those wondering, yes, notifications bug in the Apple Watch is finally fixed.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...