INTRODUCTION
So many messaging apps have come and gone. I remember the times where 2go was king. Then, there was Nimbuzz, Palmchat and so many others I can’t recall now. But then, mobile devices became more sophisticated, and those apps that couldn’t flow with the trend phased out.
But then, came WhatsApp in 2019. With features so simple to understand. No wonder we all loved it, even till now in 2019. Nowadays, WhatsApp has become a stock application for Android, Windows and iOS phones alike. Yes, we even found a way to use it on our personal computers.
But then, this blog post is not about the glory of WhatsApp, but rather, an application that is currently gaining attention in the tech world. The first time I downloaded it, I thought it was one of those apps that will phase out. But, it’s been 6 years now and it’s still growing stronger with new features from talented developers.
The app is no other than TELEGRAM. A messaging app rich in features. One exciting fact about it is that the app is cloud-based. It means that all chats are on a server. So, I can feel safe no one can download my chat conversation by hacking into my device.
Another fact is that the app is open source. That means it’s free, and anyone can actually contribute to its development. It’s one of the reasons the app is still coming up with new and improved features. The features of which I’m going to be writing about in this review. And still, try comparing it with its predecessor (WhatsApp).
The first ever release of the telegram app was on August 14, 2013. Ever since, there have been countless modifications to make sure it becomes one of the best messaging apps available. Because of the great success, it has had over the years, there was a need to compare it to one of the best messaging apps available (Whatsapp). They both have some similar features, but I will focus on their unique features in this review.
TELEGRAM UNIQUE FEATURES
• End to End Encryption
I’m not much of a secretive person, but sometimes we all derive a sense of safety from having our personal space. A place that is devoid of prying eyes.
Telegram boasts of user-to-server encryption and user-to-user encryption. What this means is that no third party application or website can get access to your chats. A test on Telegram`s integrity was when a case was filed to court, for not allowing the government to gain access to their encrypted chats. This resulted in an indefinite ban in the country. Unlike WhatsApp who had a legal battle on security issues in the app. So, if you looking for a secured platform for messages, Telegram is a great choice.
• Secret Chats
This feature deletes a conversation with anyone once ended. The feature is so resolute that you cannot make a screenshot, a screen recording or even forward a message from the chat. I remember trying to take a screenshot of a secret chat with my phone. I tried so hard, I thought the phone had a fault. It was not till I realized that it was a secret chat on telegram I was trying to screenshot. WhatsApp only has a user-to-user encryption, which is very limited in comparison. So, if you got serious issues to thrash out with someone, Telegram is your best option.
• Super Groups and Channels
I had to move my WhatsApp group to telegram. because the number of participants had exceeded the limit for WhatsApp.
Meanwhile, the limit for participants in a telegram group is currently at 75000 members. That’s why lots of businesses and webinars are on telegram groups because of wider audience capacity.
Also, telegram has another feature called channels in which one can search and join from the search menu. The channels are like what we know as broadcast in WhatsApp but it has unlimited member capacity.
• File Sharing up to 1.5gig
I wouldn’t share this amount of data over a messenger app, but it’s good to know that it’s possible over Telegram. One never knows when one will need it. WhatsApp can only share up to 16mb, which is small in comparison.
• Edit Sent Messages
This feature is cool like I can say goodbye to typos. This feature had saved me in so many instances. It’s so bad that it is not available on WhatsApp. Although WhatsApp has the delete for everyone button, it still doesn’t compare to telegram live editing.
• Lock Chats and Hide last seen for one contact
Not that I’m secretive, but I this feature is helpful in keeping one away from prying eyes. There are times when I’m busy on the app and don’t want any distractions by incoming chats from a special one, this feature helps with that. WhatsApp only allows one to hide last seen for everyone while telegram is very specific.
• Inbuilt browser
I don’t need to branch out of the app whenever I click a link because of a mini browser within the app. Although, other apps like Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, and so many others have this feature, except WhatsApp.
• Two Factor Authentication
Although I’ve never used this feature. It is being described as a security measure whenever one changes to a new device. So, whenever I decide to get a new mobile device, I can just switch over by inputting a password, an email, and my phone number verification code. This feature is absent in WhatsApp which only requires one to provide a verification code sent to one’s phone.
• Multi-Device Access
I still haven’t gotten a grasp on this feature yet. What it means is that one can start chatting on one device and continue chatting on another device connected to one account. Telegram being a cloud-based software contributes to having this functionality. I can literally jump from one device to another, replying the same conversation in real time.
• Telegram Bots
The first time I experienced this feature was one time I got kicked out of a group for sharing a spamming link. Bots help to carry out lots of tasks on the app. Telegram even has a bot store for searching out bots that suits one's needs. The only messaging bot I’ve experienced on WhatsApp is the auto messaging bot on the business WhatsApp platform.
• Customizable User Interface
This is my favorite part of any app. It gives quite a personalized feeling whenever I craft the outlook of an app to my own design. Telegram helps me achieve personalized customization on so many levels. It doesn’t only have default theme options, but also the ability for one to create his/her own theme! How cool is that?
Also, I like the auto day/night theme switching. I don’t have to change to dark mode theme at night as the app does this for me. WhatsApp does not have any theme customization. It only allows one to change the chat conversation background. That’s how far customization goes on WhatsApp.
Other New Features
• Location-based chats
This new feature came in with the new update. What it does is that it allows me to create a group only people close-by can join. So, I can also see other local groups around too.
• Add people nearby
Am looking forward to testing this new feature with my friends. I can now add new friends without asking for their number or username. For it to work, you both need to open the “add people nearby” page
• Transfer of group ownership
They say nothing lasts forever. So when you’re old and need to pass your group admin privileges, this feature can help achieve that.
• Enhanced notification exceptions
Lots of times, notifications tend to clog one's phone. This feature helps to select only the few chat notifications you would like to preview
• Siri Shortcuts
Not excited about this feature because I’m an Android user. Good news to the iOS users who can now use Siri commands to begin any chat or carry out any commands.
• Theme preview
This one is also for iOS users. It shows a preview of any theme you want to apply before applying it.
WHATSAPP UNIQUE FEATURES
• Video Calling
Thanks to this feature, I now have a deeper level of connection with my loved ones even when am far away. I can see smiles and beautiful facial expressions whenever I chat with my loved ones. It also helped in business transactions as clients want to see my products before buying.
source
WhatsApp has improved a lot on this feature, adding the group video chat option. The feature allows one to chat with up to four people at a time. I now get to have fun conversations online with my crew. Thanks, WhatsApp!
• Status and Stories
source
I have hilarious friends, whenever I want to switch up my mood, I open WhatsApp stories, sit back and watch the slide shows. Some stories are funny, some motivational, while some are enlightening. The feature allows one to upload a picture that will last for 24 hours like Snapchat. The feature is also available on Instagram and Facebook but not on Telegram.
According to the WhatsApp Beta information blog, WhatsApp is working on a series of new updates. One of which is the one that will allow one to post WhatsApp stories to one’s Facebook account.
Another update is a button option to hide muted status. This completely hides any muted status, usually at the bottom of the WhatsApp status.
• Format Texting
This cannot be equated to markdown text but it sort of covers the idea. It is helpful especially when one wants to make emphasis on a text. Some of these formats are Bold (text), Italics (text), Bold & Italic (text) and strikethrough (text).
• Business WhatsApp
source
With this feature, I can now separate business conversations from my personal life. Also, I get to have two WhatsApp applications on my device. The business WhatsApp has a lot of unique features on its own. According to the developers;
WhatsApp Business is free to download and was built with the small business owner in mind. With the app, businesses can interact with customers by using tools to automate, sort, and respond to messages.
From the above comparisons, one can actually see that telegram has more features than WhatsApp. The information below summarizes the whole comparisons
TELEGRAM
Pros:
• More feature-rich
• Bots and great file sharing
• Greater platform compatibility and multiple instances at once
• All chats backed up to cloud automatically
• Better for privacy
Cons:
• No video calls support
• Smaller user base
Pros:
• Group video calls
• Massive user base
• End-to-end encryption everywhere
• Support for small businesses
Cons:
• Limited file sharing
• Not as feature-rich as Telegram
• Chats on Google Drive not encrypted
• Owned by Facebook
SUMMARY
In this article, I’ve been able to review telegram in comparison to one of the best messaging app. It’s been a few years and it already has a growing user base of 200 million users. It’ll only be a matter of time before it’ll start bridging the gap between it and WhatsApp user base.
Though I forgot to mention, telegram does not use up local disk space on one’s device. That’s one huge advantage over WhatsApp. The later having taken up to 400mb of my disc space already.
Though this review talks more about telegram in the best light, it doesn’t negate the fact that WhatsApp is, and still a great app. In fact, it has replaced my phone’s local stock messaging inbox. I guess it’s the same for a lot of other users. That’s the advantage of being accepted all over the world. It feels like a household app already, and a necessity for all smartphones.
Finally, looking at their unique features, one would agree that each has its place and function in our devices. And they are not in total competition with each other.
Thanks for reading.
LINKS SECTION
• Github repository; https://github.com/Telegram-FOSS-Team/Telegram-FOSS
• Download link; https://github.com/Telegram-FOSS-Team/Telegram-FOSS/releases/download/v5.7.1/TF-BETA-THERMATK-v5.7.1.apk
Resources
The content of the app's review was created based on my knowledge of the project, and mostly from my experience. The images used are screenshots of the platform on my device. Other images gotten elsewhere have their source links provided.