What I don't like about Telegram

Telegram is extremely popular worldwide. In March 2025, the number of active monthly users reached 1 billion. Hundreds of millions of people use it every day. And it keeps growing fast.

I also use it at the moment — simply because everyone’s there. But in recent months, as part of my digital hygiene routine, I’ve drastically reduced the number of channels and chats I follow.

I used to have a kind of snobbish, elitist attitude about using Telegram, since it felt “cooler” than WhatsApp and other mainstream messengers. But then I started looking closer and comparing it with less popular ones.

Here’s what I’ve noticed — and what I don’t like:

  1. Phone number binding

    In most countries, SIM cards can only be purchased with an ID, which means the police (and not only them) can easily identify the owner by phone number.

  2. Permanent User ID

    This number doesn’t change even if you delete your account and create a new one tied to the same phone number. It persists in leak databases and, of course, on Telegram’s servers — linked to all other data.

  3. No end-to-end encryption by default

    It exists only for secret chats, which are used by a very small percentage of users. That’s because they’re inconvenient: no device synchronization and you have to launch them manually for each contact.

  4. “Encryption” on servers

    All chats except secret ones use client-server encryption, and the keys are stored on Telegram’s side — with no clarity about who else has access. So, in reality, Telegram itself (at the very least) can read everything.

  5. Image scanning

    This happens automatically to detect prohibited content. Everywhere except secret and personal chats (according to them).

  6. Bloatware

    Telegram has a ton of features a messenger doesn’t really need: Mini Apps, stories, gifts, stars, and so on. Meanwhile, users have been asking for genuinely useful features for years — but nothing ever moves forward.

  7. Poor text formatting

    It’s fine for chats, but given how many channels exist on Telegram, authors can’t properly format their content: no headings, embedded images, flexible text length, lists, etc.

  8. I don’t own my account or my data

    My account can be banned at any time, wiping out all my content and subscriber base.