Usernames and Secret Chats 2.0

Telegram apps for both Android and iOS have been updated today.

Usernames

From now on, you can choose a public username in the Settings section of Telegram. If you do, anyone will be able to find you by your username and contact you – without having to know your phone number.

To find people by username, just start typing any name in the search field of the Contacts section. Once entered at least 5 characters, you will see the Global Search section in your search results. This list contains people with corresponding usernames.

You can find out more details about usernames in our FAQ.

Secret Chats 2.0

Secret Chats got a major upgrade today.

The self-destruct timer in Secret Chats now includes more small values ranging from 1 to 60 seconds. In chats with these shorter self-destruct timers, the countdown for photos, videos and voice messages will begin only after they are first opened. So the content will never disappear before you have seen it or listened to it.

Photos with short self-destruct timers now work in 'Tap and Hold to View' mode, and you will receive a notification each time the recipient of a self-destructing photo makes a screenshot of it.