We are living in an era where digital privacy concerns are at an all-time high and securing personal communication has become increasingly vital. Telegram, a popular messaging app and the closest rival to WhatsApp, offers a feature that stands out for those looking to enhance their digital conversations, it is called Secret Chats. This feature provides an additional layer of security beyond regular chats, ensuring your conversations remain confidential.
The company describes this as a “dynamic feature” that makes the chats more secure and private. Secret chats on Telegram are end-to-end encrypted, which means only the sender and receiver of the secret messages can read the content.
How do secret chats work?
To initiate a Secret Chat on Telegram, start by opening the app and selecting the person you want to chat with. Tap on their name at the top of the screen, which will open their profile. Here, you’ll see an option to start a Secret Chat. Once you select this, a new encrypted chat window will open.
The primary advantage of Secret Chats is their superior security. Unlike regular chats that are encrypted server-to-client, Secret Chats use end-to-end encryption, ensuring that no third parties, including Telegram itself, can access your messages. This makes them an ideal choice for sharing sensitive information or discussing private matters.
Steps to set secret chats on iPhones, Android and Mac vary a bit. However, the basic steps remain same. Secret Chats offer additional features to enhance privacy such as:
- Self-destruct timer: You can set a timer for messages to disappear from both devices after being read. This feature adds an extra layer of security by ensuring that messages don’t remain accessible indefinitely.
- No forwarding: Messages sent in Secret Chats cannot be forwarded to other users, protecting your content from being shared beyond the intended recipient.
- Screenshot alerts: Telegram notifies you if a screenshot is taken during a Secret Chat, giving you insight into any potential breaches in your privacy.
- Device-specific: Secret Chats are device-specific. If you start a Secret Chat on one device, it won’t be visible on another device linked to your Telegram account.
Limitations
While Secret Chats offer enhanced security, they come with some limitations. They do not sync across devices, which means you can only access them on the device where they were created. Additionally, they do not support cloud backups, so if you lose access to your device, your Secret Chats are lost.
Telegram’s Secret Chats provide a powerful tool for those seeking enhanced privacy in their digital communications. By utilising end-to-end encryption and features like self-destruct timers and screenshot alerts, users can ensure their conversations remain private and secure.
