Protected Content, Delete by Date, Device Management and More

Today's update brings tools to prevent others from saving content in groups and channels, the ability to delete messages from specific dates, new ways to manage your connected devices, an option to post anonymously in public groups on behalf of your channel and more.

Protected Content in Groups and Channels

With this update, we're helping creators protect the content they publish on Telegram and ensure that it is available only for their intended audience.

Group and Channel owners who want to keep their content members-only can restrict message forwarding from their chat, which also prevents screenshots and limits the ability to save media from posts.

To change users' ability to forward messages open the Group or Channel Info page > Group / Channel Type > Restrict Saving Content.

Delete Messages by Date

Telegram users have complete control over their digital footprint and can delete any messages from a conversation at any time. With this update, you can clear chat history from a specific day or date range in any one-on-one chat.

To open the calendar, tap the date bar that pops up as you scroll through the chat – then choose which days to clear.

Clearing history by date currently only works in one-on-one chats, but messages in any chat can be set to auto-delete one day, week, or month after sending.

Manage Connected Devices

You can use Telegram on all your devices at the same time, and the Devices menu helps you control where your account is logged in. We've added a new button to quickly link a desktop device and a setting to automatically log out inactive devices after some time.

Tap any device in the list to view more information and toggle whether it can accept calls or new Secret Chats.

Telegram is available for every platform – check out timeline.butou.ma/static/apps to download the app on your other devices.

Anonymous Posting in Public Groups

Public Groups and Channel Comments allow for discussions of any topic in massive communities with thousands of members. These groups are used for everything from defending democracy to chatting with fans, which is why we've added the ability to appear as a channel when sending messages in these chats.

Tap the profile picture next to the message bar and choose one of your channels – the messages you send after that will appear with the name and photo of the channel instead of your personal account.

When posting as your channel, you’ll also see the channel name at the top of your message bubbles.

New Ways to Log In via Call

Starting today, some mobile devices will be offered the option to receive a login call from Telegram and then enter several digits of the phone number that called – instead of getting codes via text message.

Responses to Join Requests

When you request to join a group or channel and its admin responds with a message, you will see which community they are from at the top of the chat.

As of this update, bot admins can contact users requesting to join a chat where they are an admin — even if the user didn't communicate with the bot before. This opens up endless possibilities: from simply accepting the rules of a group chat before joining, to passing an admission test, to making a small donation to the creators of a channel.

Global Chat Themes on Android

Our September update introduced 8 new themes that you could set for individual chats – and now they're available for your entire app on Android (iOS users received this in the previous update).

Chat Settings have been fully redesigned, giving the new themes center stage. Built by the Telegram Team, every theme has a Day and Night mode, colorful animated background and gradient message bubbles.

Like all themes, you can personalize these designs and tweak the colors or change the pattern. For more options and custom settings, tap ‘Browse Themes’ to edit and share your creations.

Text Recognition on iOS 13+

On devices with iOS 13 and above, Text Recognition (Live Text) is enabled for photos in Telegram chats, allowing you to quickly select, copy and search without touching your keyboard. This image recognition is securely handled entirely on your device.

The list of supported languages is managed by Apple, so if yours isn't in the list yet, stay tuned for future OS updates.

Format Text in Media Captions on iOS

A little bit of bold or italics can add just the right emphasis to a message, and now you can use all text formatting options in media captions as well – including text links.