Download Telegram

Step-by-step answer: (1) Core features – end-to-end encryption, file transfer, group chats, voice/video calls – are 100% free with no ads. (2) No subscription required for personal use. (3) Enterprise features (e.g., team management API, advanced analytics) may be paid in the future. (4) You will always be notified before any paid tier is introduced. (5) For individual users, Telegram remains free forever. Download without worry.

Verification steps: (1) All official installers are digitally signed by Telegram Inc. (2) After download, right-click the file → Properties → Digital Signatures tab, ensure the signature is valid. (3) Compare the SHA256 checksum with the one published on our website. (4) Always download from the official website – never from third-party mirrors unless checksums match. (5) Our site uses HTTPS with HSTS to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.

Language availability: (1) Telegram currently supports 12 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Italian, and Arabic. (2) The app automatically matches your system language. (3) You can manually switch languages in Settings → Appearance. (4) Community contributors help improve translations. (5) Right-to-left (RTL) support for Arabic and Hebrew is fully implemented.

Registration options: (1) You can sign up using either a phone number or an email address. (2) We only ask for a verification code – no real name or address. (3) Phone numbers are never shared with third parties. (4) Option to enable “anonymous sign-up” via temporary email services is supported (though recovery may be limited). (5) Telegram does not store your contact list on our servers; contact discovery uses encrypted hashes only.

Data retention policy: (1) Messages are end-to-end encrypted locally on your devices. (2) Servers store encrypted ciphertext for up to 30 days to enable multi-device sync. (3) After 30 days, ciphertext is automatically purged. (4) You can manually delete any conversation from the cloud at any time. (5) Offline messages are kept for 7 days only. Once deleted, no recovery is possible – even by Telegram.

Offline file transfer explained: (1) Yes – if your contact is offline, the file is temporarily stored on our encrypted relay servers. (2) The file stays there for up to 7 days. (3) Once the recipient comes online, the file is automatically downloaded to their device and then removed from the relay. (4) The file is encrypted end-to-end during this process, so even we cannot read it. (5) You can cancel an offline transfer anytime.

Group encryption breakdown: (1) Telegram uses the Signal Protocol for groups – each group has a unique ratcheting key. (2) When a member joins or leaves, the group key is rotated automatically, preventing new members from reading past messages. (3) Admins have moderation powers but cannot decrypt private one-to-one messages inside the group. (4) All media shared in groups is also encrypted. (5) Group size is currently limited to 200 members, but we plan to raise it.

Sync mechanism step by step: (1) Each device generates its own identity keypair. (2) To add a new device, you must scan a QR code from an already trusted device – no remote trust. (3) After approval, messages are synchronized using end-to-end encrypted tunnels. (4) You can remotely revoke any lost device from your account settings. (5) Sync history is limited to 30 days by default for performance, but you can extend it manually.

Support channels: (1) In-app “Help & Feedback” section directly sends logs to developers. (2) Email support@Telegram.com – typical response within 24 hours. (3) Join our official Discord server for community-driven real-time help. (4) Detailed knowledge base and video tutorials on our website. (5) For critical security issues, use our PGP-encrypted security contact (details on the Security page). We prioritize every bug report.

Transparency answer: (1) The core encryption libraries and communication protocol are fully open source on GitHub (github.com/Telegram/core). (2) The desktop and mobile clients are partially open – source code for the UI layer is available upon request for verified researchers. (3) Independent security audits are conducted annually and published on our transparency report. (4) We welcome responsible disclosure and external audits. (5) Server-side code remains proprietary to prevent abuse, but we are working on a public-readable specification.