These 7 New Telegram Features Will Make You Ditch Your WhatsApp

Telegram messaging app has rolled out 7 spectacular updates to counter the latest updates of WhatsApp.

One of the new features, which now gives Telegram an edge over WhatsApp, is the ability to sign up for an account without a SIM card.

Before now, your number is needed to sign up on Telegram, just as we have it on WhatsApp instant messaging app. But the new feature ditch signup with numbers. According to the company,

“You can have a Telegram account without a SIM card and log in using blockchain-powered anonymous numbers available on the Fragment platform.”

Other New Features Telegram Rolled out

Aggressive Anti-Spam: Telegram said admins of groups with over 200 members can now choose to unleash the full proactive power of Telegram’s algorithms – turning on the new Aggressive mode for the automated spam filters.

Ultimate Privacy: Telegram said it now gives users full ownership of their entire message history through its unique combination of removing messages for all participants without a trace, and controlling existing and future chats with auto-delete timers.

“Together with using your account without a SIM card it delivers ultimate privacy,” the company said.

Auto-delete all chats: With this feature, Telegram said it is expanding users’ control over their digital footprint into the future.

“You can now set a global auto-delete timer to automatically remove messages in all new chats. Existing chats will not be affected, but you can easily expand your auto-delete settings to any of them from the new menu in Settings > Privacy & Security > Auto-Delete Messages.

“The timer will be automatically applied to all your new chats with users – regardless of who starts them – and to all new groups you create,” Telegram said. 

General Topics: While its previous update gave admins of large groups the option to organize discussions into topics, merging classic internet forums with the latest in messaging technology, Telegram topics have now become even more powerful – and are now available for groups of 100 members or more.

“Groups now have a default topic called General, which holds the group’s service messages and pre-topic message history. This topic is available for all group members so they can find older messages, but admins can rename the topic or hide it from the main list.”

Detailed storage for Android: Telegram has redesigned the Storage Usage page on Android and it now shows how much space each chat is using on your device.

Temporary QR codes: Telegram users that have a public username can generate QR codes to quickly connect with people around them.