In this article we explain what a secret Telegram chat is, what it is for, how you can get the most out of it and how it differs from WhatsApp chats. But first, we must make a brief introduction to know how both Telegram and WhatsApp work, to understand what they offer us and how they do it.
How Telegram works
Telegram, unlike WhatsApp, stores all messages on its servers. In this way, we can access all our conversations from any device and without the need for our smartphone to be on.
WhatsApp, for its part, does not store messages on its servers. As a message is sent, it passes through the WhatsApp servers and is sent to the recipient. No copies are stored on the server. This is what is called end-to-end encryption.
If we want to continue a conversation from a computer via the web or using the desktop application, our smartphone must be turned on, since it is the source from which the conversation history is obtained and through which messages are sent and received.
Telegram also uses end-to-end encryption, but only in secret chats, not in all conversations.
This does not mean that the rest of the messages and conversations are not encrypted. They are. The key to be able to decrypt them is not found on the same servers where the messages are hosted.
The decryption key is found other facilities. In this way, if the servers where our conversations are hosted were hacked, they would not be able to decrypt the content since the key is not in the same location.
How a secret Telegram chat works
A secret Telegram chat is a chat that we can carry out between only two people, offering the interlocutors all the necessary tools to share information in a secret and controlled way.
As I mentioned above, Telegram's secret chats use end-to-end encryption, that is, they are sent from device to device without leaving any copies on the servers (except when the destination device does not have an internet connection). After the message is delivered, it is removed from the servers.
Not being stored on Telegram servers, these chats are not displayed on mobile and desktop apps, chats are not synced via the cloud. If you start a secret chat on your mobile, you will have to continue the conversation on your mobile.
Seeing how Telegram and WhatsApp work, you will surely be asking What are the advantages of secret Telegram chats and does it work the same as WhatsApp? I answer this question in the next section.
What functions do Telegram secret chats offer us?
End-to-end encryption
For this reason, we will not be able to continue conversations on devices other than the one we used to create the conversation.
Messages are not stored on any server
The advantages and disadvantages of the encryption used by Telegram in this type of conversation are the same as those offered by WhatsApp in its entirety, as I have explained above.
Can't forward messages
Another of the functions offered by the secret chats of Telegram is the non-possibility of forwarding the messages. It is assumed that this is a private conversation between two people, so there is no room to forward any messages to other conversations.
Can't take screenshots
Depending on the Android version of your device (in iOS you can take screenshots of the conversations), the application will not allow you to store the screenshots you take of the chat.
If the Android version does allow you to take screenshots and store them, as in iOS, a message will be displayed in the chat indicating which of the two interlocutors has taken a screenshot.
The solution to prevent screenshots from being taken is to use message self-destruction, a function that we will talk about in the next section.
Message self-destruction
If you don't want to leave any trace of the conversations and/or images and videos you share and, incidentally, prevent your interlocutor from taking screenshots, Telegram allows us to activate the self-destruction of all the messages we send.
Once we have activated self-destruction, all messages will be deleted from the chat after the time that we have previously established. These messages will not disappear from the chat, both for us and for our interlocutor.
To activate the self-destruction of messages in a secret Telegram chat, we must perform the following steps:
- Once we have created the chat, we do not go to the text box where we are going to write and click on the clock icon.
- Next, a drop-down will be displayed where we can select how long we want the messages to be visible since they have been read by the other person. The available options are:
- Off (messages are not deleted)
- 1 second
- 2 seconds
- 3 seconds
- 4 seconds
- 5 seconds
- 6 seconds
- 7 seconds
- 8 seconds
- 9 seconds
- 10 seconds
- 11 seconds
- 12 seconds
- 13 seconds
- 14 seconds
- 15 seconds
- 30 seconds
- 1 minute
- 1 hour
- 1 day
- 1 week
Once we have established the maximum time of availability of the messages once seen, that information will be displayed in the chat. From now on, all messages will have the same expiration date until we change it.
Create a secret Telegram chat
The method of creating a secret Telegram chat has been changing over time. Currently, it seems that from this platform they have wanted to unify the method to create any type of chat and, later, make it secret.
Here are the steps to follow to create a secret chat on Telegram:
- We open the application and click on the pencil-shaped icon with a box located in the upper right corner or in the lower right (depending on whether it is iOS or Android).
- Next, we select the contact with whom we want to create the secret chat.
- Once we have created the conversation, click on the contact image.
- Within the properties of the contact, click on More and we select Start secret chat.