How To Hide Your Phone Number in Telegram

For those interested in secure communications, Telegram is likely a familiar term; it is a cloud-based messaging and VOIP service. This platform allows users to send messages, photos, video streams, audio files, and various other files anonymously.

Despite all the buzz, Telegram doesn’t represent a particularly secure communication app. Messages are encrypted solely on the client side, and the app’s security architecture has been criticized by cryptography experts. Notably, all contacts and messages are stored alongside their decryption keys, and the app lacks end-to-end encryption for messages. Furthermore, Telegram’s custom encryption protocol has been shown to possess significant security and reliability flaws.

As a result, many users continue to utilize Telegram while seeking ways to anonymize themselves during usage.

Specifically, many individuals wish to employ Telegram while concealing their phone numbers from the service. This article provides guidance on achieving that.

Can I Hide My Phone Number on Telegram?

Upon signing up for Telegram, you are required to grant the app permissions to make and receive calls, along with providing your phone number. Unfortunately, to register for Telegram using your primary phone, you must submit this information.

However, Telegram does not utilize your number for communication and does not disclose it to other users. Instead, your account’s username serves as your identifying token for the service.

Other Telegram users will only be able to view your phone number if you have theirs saved in your contacts and have synced them with Telegram. This includes friends, anyone in your contacts, and anyone with whom you have voluntarily shared your phone number.

This straightforward system helps maintain a degree of privacy. As long as you refrain from adding someone’s number to your contacts, the only identifier they will see is your Telegram username. Nonetheless, there is a method to conceal your phone number on Telegram. To accomplish this, adhere to the following steps:

1. Launch Telegram and select Settings, found in the lower left-hand corner.
   
2. Select Privacy and Security.
   
3. Tap on Phone number.
   
4. Choose between My Contacts (your contacts will be able to see your phone number) or Nobody (nobody will have access to your phone number).
   

This ensures that your phone number remains invisible to others via the app. Nevertheless, it’s essential to remember that your phone number is still linked to your account.

Additional Tips for Telegram Privacy

Telegram actively works to safeguard your privacy within the application. Messages are saved on your device rather than on Telegram’s servers, which helps protect them from unauthorized access.

When you delete a message, it gets removed for both sender and receiver, allowing you control over the chat visibility for the other participant. There are a few more adjustments you can implement within Telegram to further enhance your privacy.

Below are several suggestions to increase the security of your Telegram communications.

Chats that Self-destruct

Telegram features a Secret Chat option that employs end-to-end encryption and can self-destruct after a time you set. You’ll need to determine a timer for these types of chats, but the remainder of the process is automated. This feature is particularly useful for conversations you prefer to keep hidden.

1. Initiate a secret chat in Telegram.
   
2. Tap the three-dot menu icon.
   
3. Choose Set self-destruct timer and select your desired time.
   

Once the timer commences, all messages exchanged in that chat will be erased once the period concludes. Additionally, Telegram disables the screenshot capability on your smartphone while engaged in a secret chat, providing another layer of security.

Adding another layer of security.

Conceal Screenshots from Your Phone Gallery

If you wish to prevent your Telegram screenshots from showing up in your phone’s media gallery, they can be concealed. You have the ability to specify precisely which media is visible outside of Telegram, helping to avoid unintended exposure of images while browsing through your photos.

For Android Users:

1. Navigate to Settings in Telegram.
   
   
2. Proceed by tapping on Chat Settings.
   
   
3. Turn Save to gallery off.
   
   

For iOS Users:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Choose Privacy and Photos.
3. Switch Telegram to off.

This will keep the media accessible within Telegram, while it remains hidden from other areas on your device.

Establish a Passcode

If individuals have access to your phone and you wish to protect your privacy, you can implement a passcode for Telegram. This will lock the app, ensuring that others cannot use or view it without knowing your passcode.

1. Launch Telegram and select Settings.
   
   
   
2. Select Privacy and Security.
   

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To begin, tap on Passcode Lock, followed by selecting Turn Passcode On.

If prompted, enter your passcode and re-enter it.

Now, each time you start Telegram, you will be required to enter your PIN. Ensure you remember your PIN or keep it stored safely, as it is essential for accessing your Telegram account.

Hiding Last Seen for Specific Contacts in Telegram

If you want to keep your app usage private or avoid someone, it’s important to note that Telegram displays your last activity to others. To conceal this information, follow these simple steps.

1. Launch Settings from within the Telegram application.
   
2. Choose Privacy and Security from the menu.
   
3. Next, tap on Last Seen & Online.
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4. Choose from Everybody, My Contacts, or Nobody.
   
   

Creating a Telegram Account Without a Phone Number

As previously mentioned, there is no requirement for a phone number to sign up for Telegram. However, it doesn’t have to be YOUR number.

Telegram only requires the number for initial account verification, allowing you to utilize a number that is not traceable to you. There are several methods to establish a Telegram account while maintaining anonymity regarding your actual identity.

Using a Landline

Signing up for Telegram doesn’t necessitate a cellphone. If SMS cannot be received, Telegram can dial a voice number to provide the verification code. Payphones still exist in some places, and a few accept incoming calls.

Another option is to borrow a phone from a library or store. Many healthcare institutions feature public phones in their lobbies that allow individuals to make calls. If you can answer that one call from Telegram, you can keep your identity concealed.

Utilizing Google Voice

Google Voice is Google’s VOIP service. By creating a Google Voice account, you obtain a local telephone number connected to a Google account, and it’s straightforward to set up a new anonymous Google account.

1. Log out of all your Google accounts.
   
   
2. Create a new Google account.
   
   
3. Link your new account to a fresh Google Voice account.
4. Select a phone number
   
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5. To start, register for Telegram and use your Google Voice number as the contact.
   
   
6. Obtain the authorization code from your Google Voice account and enter it into Telegram.

Utilize a Temporary Number

Should you wish to avoid the complexities of creating a new Google pseudonym, consider obtaining a burner number. Numerous services provide a temporary phone number, or even a secondary number, with minimal verification or identity establishment required.

Various platforms exist for this purpose, but FreePhoneNum offers a free service that perfectly suits your needs. You can acquire a temporary number from this site completely free of charge; these numbers are recycled and reused by others later.

Since FreePhoneNum and Telegram operate independently of each other, there will be no record linking your identity to the temporary number used for signing up on Telegram.

1. Head over to FreePhoneNum and select one of the displayed numbers.
   
   
2. In Telegram, input the number that you have chosen.
   
   
3. Await the SMS from Telegram containing the verification code as it appears in FreePhoneNum.
   
   
4. Enter the verification code into Telegram.

Adopt a Burner Phone

It remains possible to acquire older feature phones (which are not smartphones but still capable of cellular network operation) from locations such as thrift stores or through private sales. Alternatively, you can buy an old phone from someone that still has temporary SMS service enabled, for a few…“`html

dollars.

This segment of the phone resale industry operates with a hint of dubiousness, as these phones are typically acquired solely for illegal activities. However, possessing a phone that is not registered under your name is not against the law.

After obtaining the phone, register for Telegram and then dispose of the device. You can log in to Telegram on your primary phone using your Telegram username and password without the need for further identity verification. Just ensure that “Two-Factor Verification” is disabled in Settings so that you won’t need that phone number anymore.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide my last name on Telegram?

Regrettably, Telegram does not provide an option to conceal either your first or last name from other users. However, you can modify your name within the application. To do this, click on the three horizontal lines located in the upper left corner, then select Settings. On this new page, tap the three vertical dots in the upper right corner. From the menu, choose Edit name. Enter the name you’d prefer to display and confirm by clicking the checkmark in the upper right-hand corner.

Final Thoughts

Although Telegram may not be the most secure messaging platform, it does provide a certain level of security, and there are additional measures you can implement to enhance protection. By adhering to the recommendations outlined above, you can conveniently establish an anonymous Telegram account and customize your settings to safeguard your privacy.

If you have any further suggestions for increasing Telegram’s security, feel free to share them in the comments below!