International Youth Day 2021: Every year, International Youth Day was observed on August 12.

International Youth Day 2021: Every year, International Youth Day was observed on August 12. Governments and citizens all over the world come together to celebrate the youth on International youth day and to recognize and bring attention to the problems faced by them.

The International Youth Day was commemorated by the United Nations on August 12 in 1999.

The decision of declaring the International Youth Day was taken based on the recommendation made by the World Conference of Minister Responsible for the youth in Lisbon to the United Nations General Assembly.

Young people must be full partners in our efforts to build an inclusive, fair and sustainable world for all.

I will do all I can to be an ally, and help ensure sure they are engaged, included and understood. https://t.co/Xn9fHdPEdR #YouthDay pic.twitter.com/UarE2CEYQH

The theme of International Youth Day 2021 is “Transforming Food System: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health”.

Every year, the theme of the International Day is decided by the United Nations that is relevant to all the global communities and citizens.

This year’s theme of the International Youth Day highlights the crucial need for inclusive support mechanisms that ensure that the youths all over the world continue to amplify their efforts collectively and individually to restore the Earth and protect life while also integrating the biodiversity in the transformation of food systems.

According to the United Nations, International Youth Day 2021 aims to provide a platform for the young people to continue the momentum for ECOSOC Youth Forum in the lead-up to the high-level food systems summit. It can be done through youth engagement, education, entrepreneurial solutions, and innovation.

International Youth Day aim: According to the United Nations, International Youth Day 2021 aims to provide a platform for the young people to continue the momentum for ECOSOC Youth Forum in the lead-up to the high-level food systems summit. It can be done through youth engagement, education, entrepreneurial solutions, and innovation.

"I urge everyone to guarantee young people a seat at the table as we build a world based on inclusive, fair and sustainable development for all."

-- @antonioguterrres on Thursday's #YouthDay. https://t.co/eLUcgJsfNS pic.twitter.com/lKbjuU01vW

On the occasion of International Youth Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that youth day is significant as it highlights the youngsters who were on the frontlines of the struggle to build a better future for all.

He further added that the highlight of International Youth Day 2021 will be on the solutions that have been developed by the young innovators to address the challenges in our food systems.

Guterres also urged everyone on International Youth Day to guarantee young people a seat at the table as well all build a world based on inclusive, fair, and sustainable development for all.

India's total installed renewable energy capacity has crossed the milestone of 100 GigaWatts. This was informed by the Power Ministry.

India's total installed renewable energy capacity has crossed the milestone of 100 GigaWatts. This was informed by the Power Ministry.

The total installed renewable energy capacity in India, excluding large hydro, has crossed the mile-stone of 100 GW. Today India stands at 4th position in the world in terms of installed RE capacity, 5th in solar and 4th in wind in terms of installed capacity: Ministry of Power pic.twitter.com/ajRkKTRgq3

The Union Power and New and Renewable Energy Minister R K Singh said in a tweet that another landmark day in the history of the Indian Power Sector.

The Minister said, "Our installed Renewable Energy capacity (excluding large Hydro) has crossed 1,00,000 Megawatts. Under the visionary leadership of PM @narendramodi ji, we shall continue to be global leaders in Energy Transition."
 
He stated that the milestone of achieving 100 GigaWatts of installed renewable energy capacity is an important landmark in India’s journey towards achieving its target of 450 GigaWatts by 2030.

Another landmark day in the history of the Indian Power Sector. Our installed Renewable Energy capacity (excluding large Hydro) has crossed 1,00,000 Megawatts. Under the visionary leadership of PM @narendramodi ji, we shall continue to be global leaders in Energy Transition.

India currently stands at the fourth position in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity.

India stands fifth in solar energy and fourth in terms of installed wind energy capacity. 

•The Union Power Ministry stated that while 100 GigaWatts has been installed, 50 GigaWatts is under installation and 27 GigaWatt is under tendering. 

•The Ministry said that if large hydro is included, the installed renewable energy capacity will increase to 146 GigaWatt.

The achievement of installed RE capacity of 100 GW is an important milestone in India’s journey towards its target of 450 GW by 2030: Ministry of Power

•A forecast report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) had stated in 2017 that India's renewable energy capacity will be more than double by 2022.

•India's installed renewable energy capacity in 2017 was around 58.30 GW. The Indian government had then set the ambitious target of raising it to 175 GW by 2022, including 100 GigaWatts of solar energy and 60 GW of wind energy.

•Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the Climate Ambition Summit 2020 had highlighted that India’s renewable energy capacity is the fourth largest in the world and it will reach 175 GigaWatts in 2022.

•PM Modi had also informed then that India has an even more ambitious target of achieving 450 GigaWatts of renewable energy capacity by the year 2030.

•India’s installed solar energy capacity had alone grown from 2.63 Gigawatts to 36 Gigawatts in 2020.

India is set to build the largest solar power park of 4.75 Gigawatt (Gw) in Rann of Kutch in Khavada, Gujarat. The renewable energy park will be built by NTPC Renewable Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC).

NTPC is also developing India’s biggest floating solar plant that will have a power generation capacity of 100MW in its thermal power plant at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district of Telangana. 

Indore has been declared as the first ‘Water Plus’ certified city of India under the Swachh Survekshan 2021, said Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on August 11, 2021.

Indore has been declared as the first ‘Water Plus’ certified city of India under the Swachh Survekshan 2021, said Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan on August 11, 2021.

Madhya Pradesh’s Indore is the state’s commercial capital and the country’s cleanest city. CM Chouhan tweeted to express his heartiest congratulations to the citizens of Indore for exhibiting determination and dedication towards cleanliness.

Heartiest congratulations to the citizens of Indore as it becomes the first SBM Water+ certified city under #SwachhSurvekshan2021. Indore has been an example for the whole nation for its determination and dedication towards cleanliness. May it continue bring glory to the state!

•Indore District Collector Manish Singh explained that as per the guidelines of the Water Plus Protocol of Swachh Survekshan, 5,624 domestic sewer outfalls and 1,746 public sewer outfalls in 25 small and big nullahs were tapped by the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) that helped in freeing Saraswati and Kanh rivers from the sewer lines in the city.

•Indore Civic Commissioner Pratibha Pal explained that approximately 110 million litres per day (MLD) treated water from the 7 sewerage treatment plants set up in the city is being used.

•147 special types of urinals have also been set up in the city as per the guidelines of the Water Plus Protocol.

•Cleaning of ponds, wells, and all water bodies in the city is also conducted.

•The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in its protocol and toolkit states that a city can only be declared as Water Plus after the city has achieved a satisfactory level of treating the wastewater released from households, commercial establishments, etc, before releasing the treated wastewater into the environment.

•Swachh Survekshan is an annual survey of cleanliness, sanitation, and hygiene in cities and towns across India.

•Swachh Survekshan was launched as a part of the Swachh Bharat Mission which aimed to make India clean and free of open defecation by October 2019.

•First Swacch Survekshan was held in 2016 across 73 cities. In 2020, the survey was held across 4,242 cities.

•Swachh Survekshan 2021 marks the completion of the 6^th edition of the largest urban sanitation survey.

The United States on August 12, 2021 authorized an extra dose of Covid vaccine for people with weakened immune systems.

The United States on August 12, 2021 authorized an extra dose of Covid vaccine for people with weakened immune systems. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulator granted emergency use authorisation for the third vaccine dose of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

This comes as the United States is witnessing a surge in Delta variant cases. Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said that the United States has entered yet another wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The FDA has noted that immunocompromised people are particularly at risk for severe disease in the wake of Delta variant spread. 

The US FDA has stated that the additional vaccine dose of Pfizer and Moderna will be administered to organ transplant recipients or those with equivalent weakened immune systems such as people with certain cancers or disorders. 

As per Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, those individuals who are fully vaccinated are adequately protected and do not need an additional dose of the Covid-19 vaccine at this time.

Those with compromised immunity will receive the third dose of the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna roughly 28 days after getting their second shot. 

The FDA has made no mention of those people with weakened immunity who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. They will not be getting the additional vaccine dose as of now. 

•As per US health authorities, it is harder for vaccines to work on an immune system suppressed by certain medications and diseases hence, those patients don't always get the same protection as otherwise healthy people. 

•Hence, the extra has been allowed to boost immunity in certain immunocompromised individuals who need extra protection from COVID-19.

•This comes amid ongoing debate among the US health authorities whether a third vaccine dose may be required.

•Around one million Americans may have had unauthorised third doses in an attempt to increase protection against Covid, as per US media. 

•This comes after several countries, including France and Israel, made similar recommendations. Small studies also suggest that an extra dose may be a solution for at least some people. 

•Israel recently became the first country to approve booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those with a compromised immune system. This means that those with pre-existing medical conditions such as those who have recently undergone an organ transplant can receive a third shot of the vaccine to increase their protection against COVID-19. 

•France and Germany have also recommended a third dose of the two-dose vaccines for organ transplant recipients, dialysis patients and those on strong immunosuppressant medication.

The United States has approved the additional vaccine dose of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines at a time when there is a surge of the extra-contagious delta variant of COVID-19 in the country. The mutant version of the coronavirus has pushed up cases in the nation yet again, lead to a major surge in hospitalizations and deaths.

The US FDA's decision of the extra dose will only apply to the high-risk group, which is estimated to be no more than 3 percent of US adults. It is not the same as the booster that has been in consideration for the general population.

Over 619,000 people have died due to COVID-19 in the United States and the case numbers are rising sharply again in recent months due to the spread of the Delta variant, going up to a daily average of more than 100,000 cases, a level not seen since last year's surge.

Independence Day 2021: 5 interesting facts you need to know!

Independence Day 2021: India will celebrate its 75^th Independence Day on August 15, 2021. India attained freedom on August 15, 1947, after ending 200-years of British rule.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kick off grand celebrations on August 15, 2021, from Red Fort. All central ministries and concerned departments will present projects and programmes to showcase India’s development, governance, progress and policy, and technological reforms.

This year’s celebration of 75 years of independence, India will launch year-long celebrations of independence starting from August 2021, including from the launch of a website with a Virtual Reality (VR) feature for the first time to the Indian Army hoisting the tallest National Flag in J&K.

The theme of India’s 75^th Independence Day celebrations is ‘Nation First, Always First’. 

 

 

•Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav is an intensive, countrywide initiative of the Government of India to celebrate 75 years of Independence of India from 200-years of British Rule. The Mahotsav is an embodiment of India’s development, governance, progress and policy, technological reforms, and economic identity.

•PM Narendra Modi flagged off the Padyatra (Freedom March) from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad while inaugurating the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav on March 12, 2021, which is 75 weeks prior to 75^th Independence Day. The Mahotsav will run throughout 2022 and end on August 15, 2023.

•Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar on August 3, 2021, unveiled a website to mark the 75^th Independence Day celebrations across the country.

•The website (https://indianidc2021.mod.gov.in/) aims to connect Indians from across the world to participate in the celebrations of India’s Independence Day.

•The website is installed with a Virtual Reality (VR) feature for the first time that will showcase the real-time celebrations from the Red Fort in New Delhi in a 360-degrees format. People can access the show with or without a VR gadget.

•The Indian Army on August 10, 2021, installed a 100-ft tall Indian National Flag in Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir. The Armed Forces hoisted the flag on August 15, 2021, to mark the 75th Independence Day in the country.

•Lt. Gen. Y K Joshi, Army Commander Northern Command, conducted the ceremony.

•Federation of Indian Associations – New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut in the US will hoist the biggest Indian National Flag at Times Square in New York on August 15, 2021.

•The Indian National Flag will measure 6 feet by 10 feet and 25 feet tall. The Indian Association had the first time unfurled the Indian tricolor at Times Square in New York on August 15, 2021.

•Liechtenstein, the smallest nation in the world celebrates its Independence Day on August 15 to commemorate its freedom from German rule in 1866.

•South Korea and North Korea celebrates National Liberation Day of Korea to commemorate their independence of the Korean Peninsula from the Japanese occupation by the US and Soviet Forces till 1945.

•The Democratic Republic of the Congo celebrates the Congolese National Day to mark its independence from France after 80 years of subjugation in 1960.

•Bahrain declared freedom from British rule in 1971 after a UN survey of the Bahraini population.

Independence Day 2021: five nations that celebrate independence day on August 15th

Independence Day 2021: India will celebrate its 75th independence day on August 15, 2021. India gained its independence after a long struggle through the persistent efforts by the Indian freedom fighters who forced the British Raj to finally leave India. 

The theme of India's 75th Independence Day is 'Nation first, always first.'

India's independence followed its partition and creation of Pakistan, which celebrates its independence just a day before India, on August 14th. 

However, India is not the only nation to celebrate Independence Day on August 15. There are five other nations that celebrate their Independence Day on August 15. Here is a full list. 

Bahrain declared independence from British Rule on August 15, 1971 though the Shah of Iran was still claiming historical sovereignty over Bahrain. Bahrain eventually signed a new treaty of friendship with the United Kingdom and later joined the United Nations and the Arab league. 

•North Korea and South Korea were formed after the division of Korea at the end of World War II in 1945 after the surrender of Japan.

•Japan's surrender had led to the division of Korea at the 38th parallel, with the Soviet Union occupying the north and the United States occupying the south. 

•However, both Soviet Union and the United States failed to agree on a way to unify the country. They established two separate governments in 1948, the Soviet-aligned Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the Western-aligned Republic of Korea. Each of the two governments claimed to be the legitimate government of the whole of Korea.

•Kim Il-sung led North Korea until his passing in 1994 and he was succeeded by his son Kim Jong-il. Kim Jong-il's third son Kim Jong-un was introduced as his successor in September 2010. Kim Jong-un formally took over the power after his father's passing on December 17, 2011. 

•South Korea was also formed with the Japanese surrender on September 2, 1945. Both South Korea and North Korea are entirely different countries, despite having same people and the same peninsula.

Liechtenstein, which is one of the smallest countries of the world, gained independence from German rule in 1866. The nation celebrates August 15 as its Independence Day since 1940. The government of the Principality of Liechtenstein officially had declared August 15 to be the country’s national holiday on August 5, 1940. 

The Republic of Congo was under French colonial rule since the late 1800s. It finally gained independence on August 15, 1960. The country is bordered by Gabon to the west, Cameroon to its northwest and Central African and Central African Republic to the northeast and DR Congo to the southeast.

Independence Day 2021 theme: The theme of India’s 75th Independence Day celebrations will be ‘Nation First, Always First’.

Independence Day 2021 theme: The theme of India’s 75th Independence Day celebrations will be ‘Nation First, Always First’. The country will celebrate its 75th year of Independence at Red Fort from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the nation on August 15, 2021.

All the athletes who won medals at Tokyo Olympics 2020 have also been sent special invites to attend Independence Day 2021.

Like Independence Day was celebrated in 2020, this year’s celebrations will also be restricted to the public and no cultural performances and events will be staged by the children. As per an officer, a group of NCC Cadets will be attending the event.

Reportedly, during the Independence Day 2021 celebrations, from paintings to floral arrangements, all aspects of the programmes will bear the ‘Nation First, Always First’ theme.

•  The Union Ministry of Home Affairs, after the recent drone attacks in Jammu, has asked the Delhi Police to strictly follow the Standard Operating Procedures for drone operations.

•  A Police Officer while talking about the Independence Day celebrations informed that the police have increased the total number of secured rooftops from which the Red Fort or the potential route to PM’s cavalcade is remotely visible.

•  Personnel have also been directed to take down the drones or the aerial objects in case anyone sees one approaching the Red Fort.

•  A makeshift wall of containers has also been erected at the periphery of the Red Fort. It will rule out any form of security breach owing to the ongoing farmers’ protest.

Kaziranga National Park (KZP) in Assam has become the first National Park in India to be equipped with satellite phones.

Kaziranga National Park (KZP) in Assam has become the first National Park in India to be equipped with satellite phones.

In a first-of-its-kind move to provide assistance to prevent poaching and ensure coordinated functioning, the officials of Kaziranga National Park have been provided with satellite phones.

The Chief Secretary of Assam Jishnu Barua on handed over 10 satellite phones to the forest personnel of Kaziranga National Park. The decision was taken at a meeting which was chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at the National Park on May 27.

The meeting was also attended by Parimal Suklaibaidya, Minister for Environment and Forest, minister Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta, director of Kaziranga National Park, deputy commissioners of adjoining districts as well as other senior department forest officials.

Kaziranga National Park which has been spread over a massive 430 sq km area and divided into six ranges in upper Assam, has certain areas with poor to no connectivity.

The satellite phones, given to the officials of Kaziranga Parks, which draw signals from the satellites instead of mobile towers will ensure connectivity in most of the remote locations. The move will also boost anti-poaching measures undertaken by the park.

• The Assam State Disaster Management Authority has procured the 10 satellite phones for the National Park at an estimated cost of Rs. 16 lakh.

• BSNL will be the service provider and the park authorities will bear the monthly expenses.

• BSNL has also trained the forest personnel to operate the satellite phones in the shadow areas where the mobile phones do not function.

Forest and Environment Minister Parimal Suklaibaidya thanked the Chief Minister of Assam for his promptness in providing the satellite phones.

He thanked the CM for realizing the communication bottlenecks and taking prompt action to provide satellite phones to park officials. He added that these phones will be immensely useful for coordination as they are a necessity in the sprawling Kaziranga National Park.

The satellite phones to the forest personnel will give an edge to them over the poachers and also during the emergencies like floods.

Kaziranga National Park: The Home of World’s Great One-Horned Rhinoceros

Kaziranga is located between latitudes 26°30' N and 26°45' N, and longitudes 93°08' E to 93°36' E within two districts in the Indian state of Assam -the Kaliabor subdivision of Nagaon district and the Bokakhat subdivision of Golaghat district (Assam). Kaziranga covers an area of 378 km2 (146 sq mi).It is a world heritage site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned rhinoceros. Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

Kaziranga is located between latitudes 26°30' N and 26°45' N, and longitudes 93°08' E to 93°36' E within two districts in the Indian state of Assam -the Kaliabor subdivision of Nagaon district and the Bokakhat subdivision of Golaghat district (Assam). Kaziranga covers an area of 378 km2 (146 sq mi).It is a world heritage site, the park hosts two-thirds of the world’s Great One-horned rhinoceros. Kaziranga has the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006.

Facts about Kajiranga National Park:

1. Kaziranga is located between latitudes 26°30' N and 26°45' N, and longitudes 93°08' E to 93°36' E within two districts in the Indian state of Assam -the Kaliabor subdivision of Nagaon district and the Bokakhat subdivision of Golaghat district (Assam).
2. After the declaration of national park, Kaziranga was soon declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1985.
3. The park is approximately 40 km (25 mi) in length from east to west, and 13 km (8 mi) in breadth from north to south.
4. In 1904, when Mary Curzon, the wife of the Viceroy of India(Lord Curzon of Kedleston), visited the area but fail to see a single rhinoceros.
5. On 1 June 1905, the Kaziranga Proposed Reserve Forest was created with an area of 232 km2.
6. The Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is also called Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and Asian One-horned Rhinoceros and belongs to the Rhinocerotidae family. Listed as a vulnerable species.
7. The park is home to large breeding populations of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer also.
8. Kaziranga is recognized as an Important Bird Area by Bird Life International for conservation of avifaunal species.
9. The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries, and the Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.
10. Kaziranga has flat expanses of fertile, alluvial soil formed by erosion and silt deposition by the Brahmaputra.
11. Kaziranga is one of the largest tracts of protected land in the sub-Himalayan belt, and due to the presence of highly diverse and visible species, has been described as a "biodiversity hotspot".
12. The park is located in the Indomalaya ecozone, and the dominant biomes of the region are Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests of the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biome.
13. The summer season between March and May is hot, with temperatures reaching a high of 37 °C (99 °F). During this season, animals usually are found near water bodies.
14. During the peak months of July and August, three-fourths of the western region of the park is submerged, due to the rising water level of the Brahmaputra.
15. The flooding causes most animals to migrate to elevated and forested regions outside the southern border of the park, such as the Karbi Hills.

India's only Golden Tiger spotted in Kaziranga National Park: All you need to know

A Golden Tiger has been spotted in Kaziranga National Park, Assam. Although social media is delighted, the authorities aren't ecstatic.

CREATED ON: JUL 16, 2020 14:30 IST
MODIFIED ON: JUL 16, 2020 14:30 IST

Golden Tiger

On July 11, an IFS officer, Parveen Kaswan took to twitter to share the photo of a very rare 'Golden Tiger'. Within minutes the photograph of the tigress clicked by Mayuresh Hendre went viral. The tigress was spotted at Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The golden tigress is named-- Kazi 106 F and is believed to be the only recorded individual in the 21st century. 

Do you know in #India we have a Golden #Tiger also. Only documentation of such big cat in 21st century on planet. This by Mayuresh Hendre. Look at this beauty. pic.twitter.com/8kiOy5fZQI

— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) July 10, 2020

While the tigress has delighted the people on social media, the authorities at the Kaziranga National Park stated that the finding is not a cause for celebration, instead, it is an indication to all of us to start thinking about better connectivity among the fragmented populations of tigers to prevent inbreeding-- one of the serious problems of population decline.  

In 2014, a tigress with lighter yellowish skin and lighter black stripes with more whitish expressions on abdominal and facial regions was photographed. In 2015, she was photographed for one more time. In 2016, the same tigress was photographed again, but this time with another individual. No conclusion could be drawn about the other individual (whether it was her cub or mate) due to the poor quality of the photograph. 

In a report concluded by Rabindra Sharma, wildlife expert and research officer, colour aberrations are not common phenomena and a few incidents from the past have been recorded. In 2008, during camera trapping, a black tiger was spotted in the jungles of Similipal Tiger Reserve. 

As per the report, the skin of the tigers is orange-yellow having black stripes and whitish abdominal region. 'Agouti Genes' control the yellowish part of their alleles while the 'Tabby Genes' control the black stripes and their alleles. The suppression of any of these genes leads to colour variation in the tigers. 

Signalling Protein- ASIP is responsible for melanin pigmentation in mammals. The Agouti Genes interact with these pigmentation cells and produce yellow to red or brown to black expression. Thus, we are able to spotlight and dark coloured bands in animals. 

The Agouti Genes locus is found on chromosome 2 and encodes a 131 amino acid protein which signals the distribution of melanin pigments in epithelial melanocytes, located at the base of hair follicles. 

The biological reason for colour aberration may be due to excessive inbreeding caused by habitat destruction and loss of connectivity. The recessive genes are showing up due to inbreeding within a fragmented population.

Recent research published by the Cardiff University and NCBS (National Center for Biological Sciences) state that 93% of the tiger DNA variants from the British period are no longer present in the current tiger population. 

The report ended on a note stating that we must start pondering to come up with a solution to prevent inbreeding. 

International Tiger Day 2021: know it's history, significance and key facts

29th July is referred to as the Global Tiger Day also every year. The day is observed to mark the declining population of tigers across the globe. The decline happened in the 20th century and the number is luckily on rise again due to the continued efforts of the people. India prepares the tiger estimation report every four years and last report was released in 2018. 

In 1973, Project Tiger was started in India which was a unique plan to save tigers on the planet. Since it formative years there were 9 tiger reserves but the Tiger Project coverage has increased to 50.

But according to WWF around 3,900 wild tigers are left in the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, over 95% of the world's tiger population is lost. It is said that across Asia, the snaring crisis poses a grave threat to wild tigers.

We can't deny the fact that tigers are the largest species of the cat family and also one of the most iconic animals on the planet. About a century ago, there may have been over 100,000 tigers that roam on the planet.

A conservational goal which is so ambitious was set up by the government of the 13 range countries to double the number of wild tigers by 2022 in the next Chinese year of the tiger. 

There is a famous quote "Where tigers thrive, it is a sign that the ecosystem is healthy". 

International Tiger Day: History

International Tiger Day was established in 2010 at Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia to raise awareness about the decline of wild tiger numbers, leaving them in the brink of extinction and to encourage the work of Tiger conservation. In the Summit, a declaration was made that Governments of tiger populated countries had vowed to double the tiger population by 2020.

Several events every year are organised by animal organisations like WWF, IFAW, and the Smithsonian Institute.

Reasons behind the declining population of Tigers

- Poaching and illegal trade: For traditional Chinese medicines, tigers face the problem of poaching as there is a demand for every part of the body of the tiger. In illegal wildlife trades, they keep high prices.

- Habitat loss: Nowadays and with the increasing population forest are becoming less in numbers. Clearing of forests for several reasons like agriculture, industries, etc. made a loss of around 93% of the natural habitats of tigers.

- Climate Change: With the rise of sea level due to climate change lead to wiping out of Sundarbans one of the habitats of Royal Bengal Tigers.

- Several diseases are also the key factor. Several animals die and there is no way to ascertain the cause of their death. Certain diseases spread epidemic like Feline Panleucopania, tuberculosis, etc.

- The study of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) says that the tiger population in the park shown a loss of genetic diversity over the years.

- Degradation of Habitats: Big cats want secure and disturbance-free habitat to survive but due to several developmental activities in the landscape of the protected areas (PAs) pose a big threat to tigers.

- Man-animal conflict also affects the population of big cats.

- Lack of protection infrastructure.

- Increasing tourism day by day is also one of the factors for the decline in tiger numbers.

All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018:

According to the report released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi namely 'All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018' India has achieved its 2022 target of tiger population in the country. India now has 2,967 tigers. The growth in the 4th cycle of the Tiger Census has been 33 percent. 4 years before the deadline, India has achieved a target. Nine years ago in St. Petersburg, it was decided to double the population of the tiger by 2022.

Let us tell you that according to the census, Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers that is 526 which is closely followed by Karnataka at 524 and Uttarakhand with 442 tigers at number 3 position.

There is a decline in the population of tiger in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram while tiger numbers in Odisha remained constant.

Note: In 2014, there were 692 protected areas, which increased to more than 860 in 2019. The 33% rise in tiger numbers is the highest ever recorded between cycles which stood at 21% between 2006 to 2010 and 30% between 2010 and 2014.

Tigers are a part of our planets’ natural heritage; they also have great cultural and historical significance. No doubt they are also crucial for the ecosystems in which they live. We can’t ignore that tigers not only protect the forest by maintaining ecological integrity but also they bring the highest levels of protection and investment to an area. Therefore, we call them as “umbrella species" that is their conservation also conserve many other species in the same area.

So, protect and conserve tigers!

World Elephant Day 2021: Date, thame, History, significances, and facts

World Elephant Day 2021: The day focuses on the conservation and protection of elephants from the various threats they face. 

"We admire elephants in part because they demonstrate what we consider the finest human traits: empathy, self-awareness, and social intelligence. But the way we treat them puts on display the very worst of human behavior.” - Graydon Carter

The reason behind the poor condition of elephants is not only poaching and habitat loss but also due to the negligence of the people about the threats that elephant a magnificent animal faces. One of these threats may be the elephant rides, isn't it!

World Elephant Day: History

On 12 August, 2012, the first international Elephant Day was celebrated. Since then, it is observed annually and this day is dedicated to huge animal protection and preservation. Let us tell you that in 2011, World Elephant Day was conceived by the Elephant Reintroduction Foundation and filmmakers Patricia Sims and Michael Clark. It was officially launched on August 12, 2012.

This day makes people understand the need for better protection for wild animals, elephants, and also to improve the illegal poaching and trade of ivory, better treatment of captive elephants. Do you know that now more than 65 wildlife organisations and several people around the world celebrate this day?

Let us tell you that in the IUCN Red List of threatened species, African elephants are listed as Vulnerable and Asian elephants as Endangered.

Threats that Elephants basically face

- Poaching

- Human-elephant conflict.

- Mistreatment in captivity.

- Do not ride on an elephant.

Above mentioned threats are faced by African and Asian Elephants

Solutions for the threats are:

- Together work towards better protection for wild animals.

- Improve enforcement policies to prevent illegal poaching.

- Improve the illegal trade of ivory.

- Conserve the habitats of elephants.

- Provide better treatment for captive elephants

- When it is appropriate then reintroduces captive elephants into the natural habitat.

- Protect sanctuaries is one of the goals of several elephant conservation organisations and focuses around the world.

How is World Elephant Day celebrated?

The best way to celebrate the day is to educate yourself and others about this magnificent animal that is an elephant. It is necessary to raise issues that these animals face and social media is the best platform for this. People watch documentaries on elephants as this makes us realise about wildlife and problems that animals face which can be an eye-opener. People donate on this day to a foundation dedicated to protecting elephants from poachers or relocating them to locations better suited to their needs.

To stop killing elephants MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) programme was established by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) by Resolution 10.10 adopted at the tenth Conference of the Parties in 1997. 

Facts about the African Elephant

- According to WWF, approximately the population of African elephants is 415,000 in the wild.

- The scientific name of the Elephant is Loxodonta africana.

- Shoulder height is 11 feet and weight is 6 tonns.

- The length is 19-24 feet.

- There are two species of African elephants - the Savanna or bush elephant and the Forest elephant. Do you know that Savanna elephants are larger than forest elephants and their tusks curve outwards?

- Forest elephants are darker and their tusks are straighter and point downward.

So, now you may have come to know that World Elephant Day is celebrated on 12 August every year to raise awareness about the issues that elephants face in the wild and to find out the ways to protect them. 

National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 every year in India.

National Handloom Day is celebrated on August 7 every year in India. The Central Government and other organisations, on this day, honour the handloom weaving community of the country for their contribution to the socio-economic development of India.

National Handloom Day commemorates the Swadeshi Movement and celebrates the country’s colorful weaves and rich fabrics.

As this year India will mark 7th National Handloom Day, the day will be dedicated to raise awareness among the public and increasing the contribution towards the weavers of the country.

Ministry of Textiles cordially invites you to celebrate the Virtual edition of the 7th National Handloom Day. Support the local weavers & propagate strength of our Handlooms by buying at least one handloom item and share it with #MyHandloomMyPride @PiyushGoyal @DarshanaJardosh pic.twitter.com/PiVN2FoyPq

The Indian Government had announced August 7 as the National Handloom Day to mark the 100th anniversary of the Swadeshi Movement, which started in 1905.

National Handloom Day was first observed in 2015 in the country and the day was organized by PM Modi in Chennai. The purpose was to make the citizens of the country aware of the rich history of Indian handloom as synthetic fabrics have taken over the textile industry in the present era.

The handloom sector in India has been an important source of livelihood, particularly for women who form around 70% of the weavers or the allied workers in the sectors.

National Handloom Day is celebrated to recognize the efforts that are put in to continue an essential part of India’s cultural heritage and to honour the handloom community of the country.

Our Country, our Heritage and our Handlooms: Saluting the weavers & artisans who help preserve India’s cultural heritage through handlooms.

On this National Handloom Day, let's pledge our support to them by adopting #MyHandloomMyPride in our daily lives. pic.twitter.com/Osm9zNCRi8

• Delhi will be hosting this year’s function and similar events have been organized in Guwahati, Varanasi, Bhubaneshwar, and Jaipur.

• The Ministry of Textile informed on August 6 that the Central Government has been taking measures to ensure the sustainable development of the handloom sector, instilling pride in weavers’ exquisite craftsmanship and empowering the handloom weavers and workers financially.

• Three handloom craft villages at Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala; Kanihama, Budgam, Srinagar; and Mohpara Village, District Golaghat, Assam are being established in collaboration with the respective state governments.

• The objective of these villages will be to ensure the attraction of international and domestic tourists as well as to promote the well-known handicraft and handloom products of the region.

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Why Telegram?

Simple

Telegram is so simple you already know how to use it.

Private

Telegram messages are heavily encrypted and can self-destruct.

Synced

Telegram lets you access your chats from multiple devices.

Fast

Telegram delivers messages faster than any other application.

Powerful

Telegram has no limits on the size of your media and chats.

Open

Telegram has an open API and source code free for everyone.

Secure

Telegram keeps your messages safe from hacker attacks.

Social

Telegram groups can hold up to 200,000 members.

Expressive

Telegram lets you completely customize your messenger.

• Telegram FAQ

This FAQ provides answers to basic questions about Telegram.
Check out our Advanced FAQ for more technical information.

General

• What is Telegram?
• Who is it for?
• How is it different from WhatsApp?
• How old is Telegram?
• Is it available on my device?
• Who are the people behind Telegram?
• Where is Telegram based?
• How do you make money?
• What are your thoughts on internet privacy?
• What about GDPR?
• Do you process takedown requests?
• Do you process data requests?

Telegram Basics

• Who can I message?
• Who can message me?
• Who has Telegram?
• Inviting friends
• What do the check marks mean in Telegram?
• Can I hide my 'last seen'?
• Who can see me 'online'?
• What is 'People Nearby'?
• Can I delete my messages?
• Voice, Video and Group calls
• Using emoticons

Groups and Channels

• What makes Telegram groups cool?
• How are channels and groups different?
• Creating a group
• Adding members and using Invite Links

Usernames and t.me

• What are usernames? How do I get one?
• How does t.me work?
• What can I use as my username?
• Do I need a username?
• Will people know my number?
• How do I delete my username?
• What do I do if my username is taken?
• What if someone is pretending to be me?

Security

• How secure is Telegram?
• How do you encrypt data?
• Why should I trust you?
• Do I need to trust Telegram for it to be secure?
• What if my hacker friend doubts you?
• Can Telegram protect me against everything?
• How does 2-Step Verification work?

Secret Chats

• What is a secret chat?
• Starting a secret chat
• Using the self-destruct timer
• Screenshot alerts
• Encryption key picture
• Why not make all chats 'secret'?

Your Account

• Who can see my phone number?
• I have a new phone number, what do I do?
• Log out of Telegram
• Change your phone number
• Delete your Telegram account
• How does account self-destruction work?
• My phone was stolen. What do I do?

Bots

• How do I create a bot?
• How do I get rid of a bot?
• Are bots safe?
• Where can I get more bots?

Deeper Questions

• Can I get Telegram's server-side code?
• Can I use my own server?
• Can I use the Telegram API?
• Do you have a Privacy Policy?
• What does the iOS privacy sheet mean?
• Why do you have two apps in the Mac App Store?
• Can I translate Telegram?
• Can I help?

Troubleshooting

• SMS, login, register
• Getting a login code via a phone call
• Getting codes via Telegram
• Notification problems
• Problems with contacts
• Deleting contacts on Android
• Secret Chats
• Can't send messages to non contacts
• Telegram uses the camera or microphone in the background

Contact Telegram Support
Follow Us on Twitter
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Advanced FAQ

---

General Questions

Q: What is Telegram? What do I do here?

Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security, it’s super-fast, simple and free. You can use Telegram on all your devices at the same time — your messages sync seamlessly across any number of your phones, tablets or computers. Telegram has over 500 million monthly active users and is one of the 10 most downloaded apps in the world.

With Telegram, you can send messages, photos, videos and files of any type (doc, zip, mp3, etc), as well as create groups for up to 200,000 people or channels for broadcasting to unlimited audiences. You can write to your phone contacts and find people by their usernames. As a result, Telegram is like SMS and email combined — and can take care of all your personal or business messaging needs. In addition to this, we support end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls, as well as voice chats in groups for thousands of participants.

Follow our Tips Channel to learn more about Telegram features.

Q: Who is Telegram for?

Telegram is for everyone who wants fast and reliable messaging and calls. Business users and small teams may like the large groups, usernames, desktop apps and powerful file sharing options.

Since Telegram groups can have up to 200,000 members, we support replies, mentions and hashtags that help maintain order and keep communication in large communities efficient. You can appoint admins with advanced tools to help these communities prosper in peace. Public groups can be joined by anyone and are powerful platforms for discussions and collecting feedback.

In case you're more into pictures, Telegram has animated gif search, a state of the art photo editor, and an open sticker platform (find some cool stickers here or here). What's more, there is no need to worry about disk space on your device. With Telegram's cloud support and cache management options, Telegram can take up nearly zero space on your phone.

Those looking for extra privacy should check out our advanced settings and rather revolutionary policy. And if you want secrecy, try our device-specific Secret Chats with self-destructing messages, photos, and videos — and lock your app with an additional passcode.

We keep evolving — check out our Brief History of Telegram and follow us on twitter and Telegram to stay in touch.

Q: How is Telegram different from WhatsApp?

Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram is a cloud-based messenger with seamless sync. As a result, you can access your messages from several devices at once, including tablets and computers, and share an unlimited number of photos, videos and files (doc, zip, mp3, etc.) of up to 2 GB each.

Telegram needs less than 100 MB on your device – you can keep all your media in the cloud without deleting things – simply clear your cache to free up space.

Thanks to Telegram's multi-data center infrastructure and encryption, is faster and way more secure. On top of that, private messaging on Telegram is free and will stay free — no ads, no subscription fees, forever.

Telegram's API and code is open, and developers are welcome to create their own Telegram apps. We also have a Bot API, a platform for developers that allows anyone to easily build specialized tools for Telegram, integrate any services, and even accept payments from users around the world.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Follow our Tips Channel to learn more about Telegram features.

Q: How old is Telegram?

Telegram for iOS was launched on August 14, 2013. The alpha version of Telegram for Android officially launched on October 20, 2013. More and more Telegram clients appear, built by independent developers using Telegram's open platform.

Q: Which devices can I use?

You can use Telegram on smartphones, tablets, and even computers. We have apps for iOS (9.0 and above), Android (4.1 and up), a native macOS app and a universal desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Telegram Web can also help to quickly do something on the go.

You can log in to Telegram from as many of your devices as you like — all at the same time. Just use your main mobile phone number to log in everywhere, your cloud chats will sync instantly.

The Telegram API is open for developers, should you want to build your own applications for other platforms.

Q: Who are the people behind Telegram?

Telegram is supported by Pavel Durov and his brother Nikolai. Pavel supports Telegram financially and ideologically while Nikolai's input is technological. To make Telegram possible, Nikolai developed a unique custom data protocol, which is open, secure and optimized for work with multiple data-centers. As a result, Telegram combines security, reliability and speed on any network.

See also: articles about Telegram

Q: Where is Telegram based?

The Telegram development team is based in Dubai.

Most of the developers behind Telegram originally come from St. Petersburg, the city famous for its unprecedented number of highly skilled engineers. The Telegram team had to leave Russia due to local IT regulations and has tried a number of locations as its base, including Berlin, London and Singapore. We’re currently happy with Dubai, although are ready to relocate again if local regulations change.

Q: Will you have ads in my private chats and groups? Or sell my data? Or steal my beloved and enslave my children?

No. See this post for details.

Q: How are you going to make money out of this?

We believe in fast and secure messaging that is also 100% free.

Our founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who financed Telegram throughout most of its history, has outlined a strategy to make Telegram sustainable in this post.

While Telegram will introduce monetization in 2021 to pay for the infrastructure and developer salaries, making profits will never be an end-goal for us.

Q: What are your thoughts on internet privacy?

We think that the two most important components of Internet privacy should be:

1. Protecting your private conversations from snooping third parties, such as officials, employers, etc.
2. Protecting your personal data from third parties, such as marketers, advertisers, etc.

Telegram's aim is to create a truly free messenger, with a revolutionary privacy policy.

Q: What about GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force in Europe on May 25, 2018. Since taking back our right to privacy was the reason we made Telegram, there wasn't much we had to change. We don’t use your data for ad targeting, we don’t sell it to others, and we're not part of any mafia family “family of companies.”

Telegram only keeps the information it needs to function as a feature-rich cloud service. For example, your cloud chats – so that you can access them from any devices without using third-party backups, or your contacts – so that you can rely on your existing social graph when messaging people on Telegram. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.

You can use @GDPRbot to:

• Request a copy of all your data that Telegram stores.
• Contact us about Data Privacy.

Q: There's illegal content on Telegram. How do I take it down?

All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them.

But sticker sets, channels, and bots on Telegram are publicly available. If you find sticker sets or bots on Telegram that you think are illegal, please ping us at abuse@telegram.org.

You can also use the 'report' buttons right inside our apps, see this post on our official @ISISwatch channel for details.

Note: If a scammer is pretending to be you, contact @NoToScam

Q: A bot or channel is infringing on my copyright. What do I do?

All Telegram chats and group chats are private amongst their participants. We do not process any requests related to them. But sticker sets, channels, and bots on Telegram are publicly available.

If you see a bot, channel, or sticker set that is infringing on your copyright, kindly submit a complaint to dmca@telegram.org. Please note that such requests should only be submitted by the copyright owner or an agent authorized to act on the owner’s behalf.

Q: Wait! 0_o Do you process take-down requests from third parties?

Our mission is to provide a secure means of communication that works everywhere on the planet. To do this in the places where it is most needed (and to continue distributing Telegram through the App Store and Google Play), we have to process legitimate requests to take down illegal public content (e.g., sticker sets, bots, and channels) within the app. For example, we can take down sticker sets that violate intellectual property rights or porn bots.

User-uploaded stickers sets, channels, and bots by third-party developers are not part of the core Telegram UI. Whenever we receive a complaint at abuse@telegram.org or dmca@telegram.org regarding the legality of public content, we perform the necessary legal checks and take it down when deemed appropriate.

Please note that this does not apply to local restrictions on freedom of speech. For example, if criticizing the government is illegal in some country, Telegram won't be a part of such politically motivated censorship. This goes against our founders' principles. While we do block terrorist (e.g. ISIS-related) bots and channels, we will not block anybody who peacefully expresses alternative opinions.

Q: My bot or sticker set was banned unfairly, what do I do?

If you think we banned your bot, channel, or sticker set for no apparent reasons, drop us a line at abuse@telegram.org.

Q: Do you process data requests?

Secret chats use end-to-end encryption, thanks to which we don't have any data to disclose.

To protect the data that is not covered by end-to-end encryption, Telegram uses a distributed infrastructure. Cloud chat data is stored in multiple data centers around the globe that are controlled by different legal entities spread across different jurisdictions. The relevant decryption keys are split into parts and are never kept in the same place as the data they protect. As a result, several court orders from different jurisdictions are required to force us to give up any data.

Thanks to this structure, we can ensure that no single government or block of like-minded countries can intrude on people's privacy and freedom of expression. Telegram can be forced to give up data only if an issue is grave and universal enough to pass the scrutiny of several different legal systems around the world.

To this day, we have disclosed 0 bytes of user data to third parties, including governments.

Telegram Basics

Follow our Tips Channel to learn more about Telegram features.

Q: Who can I write to?

You can write to people who are in your phone contacts and have Telegram. Another way of contacting people is to type their Telegram username into the search field – you don't need to know their phone number to do this.

Q: Who can contact me?

People can contact you on Telegram if they know your phone number or if you message them first.

If they don't know your phone number, they can find you in these cases:

• When you both are members of the same group.
• If you set a public username. Others can use Global Search and find you by your username.
• If you opt-in to appear in the People Nearby section (this is turned off by default).

Q: How do I know who in my contacts has Telegram?

Your contacts, who have Telegram, are shown at the top of your Contacts. They also have pictures.

Q: How do I invite my friends?

iOS: The basic invitations are simple SMS messages. They will be charged as standard outgoing SMS by your carrier (unless sent via iMessage). Naturally, you have other options to bring your friends here. Try sending them a download link via any other messaging service: email, Facebook, WhatsApp, an actual telegram — you name it. The link: https://telegram.org/dl/

Android: Open the app menu (swipe right in chat list) > Invite Friends. Then choose an application via which you would like to send out invitations.

You can give your friends a t.me link with your username so that they can easily find you on Telegram even if they don't have your phone number.

Q: What do the check marks mean?

One check — message delivered to the Telegram cloud and your friend has been notified if he allows notifications.
Two checks — message read (your friend opened Telegram and opened the conversation with the message).

We don't have a 'delivered to device' status for messages because Telegram can run on as many devices as you want. So which particular one would that check mean?

Q: Can I hide my ‘last seen’ time?

You can choose who sees this info in Privacy and Security settings.

Remember that you won't see Last Seen timestamps for people with whom you don't share your own. You will, however, see an approximate last seen value. This keeps stalkers away but makes it possible to understand whether a person is reachable over Telegram. There are four possible approximate values:

• Last seen recently — covers anything between 1 second and 2-3 days
• Last seen within a week — between 2-3 and seven days
• Last seen within a month — between 6-7 days and a month
• Last seen a long time ago — more than a month (this is also always shown to blocked users)

Q: Who can see me 'online'?

The last seen rules apply to your online status as well. People can only see you online if you're sharing your last seen status with them.

There are some exceptions because sometimes it is obvious that you are online. Regardless of the last seen settings, people will see you online for a brief period (~30 seconds) if you do the following:

• Send them a message in a one-on-one chat or in a group where you both are members.
• Read a message they sent you in a one-on-one chat.
• Broadcast a “typing…” status to their chat with you or to a group where you both are members.

If you're not sharing your last seen timestamp with someone and don't do anything of the above, they'll never see you online. Another way of achieving this is to block that person.

Q: What is People Nearby?

People Nearby is an optional feature that allows Telegram users to explore local groups, find friends to chat with in their area, or quickly exchange contacts with people who are close.

You can find it in Contacts > Find People Nearby, as well as directly in the side menu on Android.

While you have the People Nearby section open on your screen, people who are very close will be able to see you there. If you don't open the section, others will never see you in 'People Nearby'.

You can also choose to permanently add your profile to the list of nearby people by tapping Make Myself Visible. After becoming visible, you can remove your profile from the list at any time by tapping Stop Showing Me.

Note: People Nearby is never turned on by default – users must manually enable it. If you are receiving messages from someone you don't know, see Q: Who can contact me?

Q: Can I delete my messages?

Yes. You can always delete any messages you sent or received for both sides in any one-on-one conversation (in groups, it's still your own messages only). You can also clear the entire chat history on both ends. On Telegram, deleted messages do not leave a mark in the chat.

Together with privacy settings for forwarded messages, this makes exchanging Telegram messages similar to talking face to face (without a tape recorder). As a result, users no longer need to worry about the data accumulating in their chats over the years. Both parties in a conversation have full control over what does and what doesn't belong to their online identity.

Q: Can I make calls via Telegram?

Yes! You can make end-to-end encrypted Voice Calls and Video Calls.

If you want more participants, try starting a Voice Chat in one of the groups you created. Voice Chats add a live layer of ephemeral talk to the group. They can be used as virtual office spaces for teams or informal lounges for any community. While Voice Chats are not group calls, they can achieve similar goals.

Q: How can I use emoticons?

Type one word in your input field to get relevant emoji suggestions. You can also type “:” followed by any keyword to open emoji search – like :heart.

You can suggest missing keywords for emoji in your language using this interface (this will open suggestions for English, don't forget to change to your language in the left menu).

Groups and Channels

Q: What makes Telegram groups cool?

Telegram groups can have up to 200,000 members each and are extremely powerful communication tools. Here are a few key features that make them stand out in the messaging world:

Unified history
Edit your messages after posting, delete them so that they disappear for everyone.

Cross-platform availability
Access your messages anytime, from any number of your mobile or desktop devices.

Instant search
Find the message you're looking for, even among millions. Filter by sender to make searching easier.

Replies, mentions, hashtags
Easily trace a conversation and keep communication efficient, no matter the group size.

Smart notifications
Mute the group to get notifications only when people mention you or reply to your messages.

Pinned messages
You can pin any message to be displayed at the top of the chat screen. All members will get a notification — even if they muted ordinary messages from your group.

Moderation tools
Appoint administrators that can mass-delete messages, control membership, and pin important messages. Define their admin privileges with granular precision.

Group permissions
Set default permissions to restrict all members from posting specific kinds of content. Or even restrict members from sending messages altogether – and let the admins chat amongst themselves while everybody else is watching.

File sharing
Send and receive files of any type, up to 2 GB in size each, access them instantly on your other devices.

Public groups
Get a short link for your group and make it public, like t.me/publictestgroup. This way, anybody can view the group's entire chat history and join to post messages.

Customization via bots
Create custom tools for any specific needs using our Bot API and Inline Bots.

Q: What's the difference between groups and channels?

Telegram groups are ideal for sharing stuff with friends and family or collaboration in small teams. But groups can also grow very large and support communities of up to 200,000 members. You can make any group public, toggle persistent history to control whether or not new members have access to earlier messages and appoint administrators with granular privileges. You can also pin important messages to the top of the screen so that all members can see them, including those who have just joined.

Channels are a tool for broadcasting messages to large audiences. In fact, a channel can have an unlimited number of subscribers. When you post in a channel, the message is signed with the channel's name and photo and not your own. Each message in a channel has a view counter that gets updated when the message is viewed, including its forwarded copies.

Read more about channels in the Channels FAQ »

Q: How do I create a group?

iOS: Start a new message (tap the icon in the top right corner in Chats) > 'New Group'.
Android: Tap the circular pencil icon in the chat list > 'New Group'.
Telegram Desktop: Click the menu button in the top left corner > 'New Group'.

Q: Can I assign administrators?

You can add administrators to help you manage your group and define their privileges with granular precision.

iOS: Go to Group Info (tap the photo in the top right corner on the group‘s chat screen) > Edit > Administrators.
Android: Go to Group Info (tap the name in the header) > the pencil icon (in the top right corner) > Administrators.
Telegram Desktop: When in the group, click '…' in the top right corner > Manage group > Administrators.

Q: How do I add more members? What's an invite link?

You can add your contacts, or using search by username.

It is easy to migrate existing groups to Telegram by sending people an invite link. To create an invite link, go to Group Info > Add Member > Invite to Group via Link.

Anyone who has Telegram installed will be able to join your group by following this link. If you choose to revoke the link, it will stop working immediately.

Read more about invite links in our blog »

Usernames and t.me

Q: What are usernames? How do I get one?

You can set up a public username on Telegram. It then becomes possible for other users to find you by that username — you will appear in contacts search under 'global results'. Please note that people who find you will be able to send you messages, even if they don't know your number. If you are not comfortable with this, we advise against setting up a username in Telegram.

You can set up a username in Settings and use the universal search box in the chat list to search for chats, messages, and usernames.

Q: How does t.me work?

Once you've set up a username, you can give people a t.me/username link. Opening that link on their phone will automatically fire up their Telegram app and open a chat with you. You can share username links with friends, write them on business cards or put them up on your website.

This way people can contact you on Telegram without knowing your phone number.

Q: What can I use as my username?

You can use a-z, 0-9 and underscores. Usernames are case-insensitive, but Telegram will store your capitalization preferences (e.g. Telegram and TeleGram is the same user). The username must be at least five characters long.

Q: Do I need a username?

You don't have to get one. Remember that Telegram usernames are public and choosing a username on Telegram makes it possible for people to find you in global search and send you messages even if they don't have your number. If you are not comfortable with this, we advise against setting up a username.

Q: If someone finds me by username, messages and I reply — will they know my number?

No. Neither party will see another's phone number (unless this is permitted by your privacy settings). This is similar to the case when you message a person who you've met in a Telegram group.

Q: How do I delete my username?

Go to Settings and save an empty username. This will remove your username; people will no longer be able to find you via search. This will not affect existing conversations.

Q: What do I do if my username is taken?

Telegram usernames are distributed on a first come — first serve basis.

We understand that certain usernames are part of an online identity for some of us. If your desired username is already taken, we will be happy to help you acquire it for your account or channel, provided that you have that same username on at least two of these services: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.

Due to the fact that one account can register multiple bot and channel usernames, we reserve the right to recall usernames assigned to unused bots and channels, as well as openly squatted usernames.

To request a username, contact @Username_bot.

Q: What if someone is pretending to be me?

If a scammer is pretending to be you, please contact @NoToScam.

Security

If you are an advanced user, you may find our FAQ for the Technically Inclined useful as well.

Q: How secure is Telegram?

Telegram is more secure than mass market messengers like WhatsApp and Line. We are based on the MTProto protocol (see description and advanced FAQ), built upon time-tested algorithms to make security compatible with high-speed delivery and reliability on weak connections. We are continuously working with the community to improve the security of our protocol and clients.

Q: What if I’m more paranoid than your regular user?

We've got you covered. Telegram’s special secret chats use end-to-end encryption, leave no trace on our servers, support self-destructing messages and don’t allow forwarding. On top of this, secret chats are not part of the Telegram cloud and can only be accessed on their devices of origin.

Q: So how do you encrypt data?

We support two layers of secure encryption. Server-client encryption is used in Cloud Chats (private and group chats), Secret Chats use an additional layer of client-client encryption. All data, regardless of type, is encrypted in the same way — be it text, media or files.

Our encryption is based on 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange. You can find more info in the Advanced FAQ.

See also: Do you process data requests?

Q: Why should I trust you?

Telegram is open, anyone can check our source code, protocol and API, see how everything works and make an informed decision. Telegram supports verifiable builds, which allow experts to independently verify that our code published on GitHub is the exact same code that is used to build the apps you download from App Store or Google Play.

We welcome security experts to audit our system and appreciate any feedback at security@telegram.org.

On top of that, Telegram's primary focus is not to bring a profit, so commercial interests will never interfere with our mission.

See also: articles about Telegram

Q: Do I need to trust Telegram for this to be secure?

When it comes to secret chats, you don't — just make sure that the visualized key of your secret chat matches the one in your friend's secret chat settings. More about this below.

Q: What if my hacker friend says they could decipher Telegram messages?

Anyone who claims that Telegram messages can be deciphered is welcome to prove that claim in our competition and win $300,000. You can check out the Cracking Contest Description to learn more.

Any comments on Telegram's security are welcome at security@telegram.org. All submissions which result in a change of code or configuration are eligible for bounties, ranging from $100 to $100,000 or more, depending on the severity of the issue. Please note that we can not offer bounties for issues that are disclosed to the public before they are fixed.

Q: Can Telegram protect me against everything?

Telegram can help when it comes to data transfer and secure communication. This means that all data (including media and files) that you send and receive via Telegram cannot be deciphered when intercepted by your internet service provider, owners of Wi-Fi routers you connect to, or other third parties.

But please remember that we cannot protect you from your own mother if she takes your unlocked phone without a passcode. Or from your IT-department if they access your computer at work. Or from any other people that get physical or root access to your phones or computers running Telegram.

If you have reasons to worry about your personal security, we strongly recommend using only Secret Chats in official or at least verifiable open-source apps for sensitive information, preferably with a self-destruct timer. We also recommend enabling 2-Step Verification and setting up a strong passcode to lock your app, you will find both options in Settings > Privacy and Security.

Q: How does 2-Step Verification work?

Logging in with an SMS code is an industry standard in messaging, but if you're looking for more security or have reasons to doubt your mobile carrier or government, we recommend protecting your cloud chats with an additional password.

You can do this in Settings > Privacy and Security > 2-Step Verification. Once enabled, you will need both an SMS code and a password to log in. You can also set up a recovery email address that will help regain access, should you forget your password. If you do so, please remember that it's important that the recovery email account is also protected with a strong password and 2-Step Verification when possible.

Check this out for tips on creating a strong password that is easy to remember.

Q: Why can jailbroken and rooted devices be dangerous?

Using a rooted or jailbroken device makes it easier for a potential attacker to gain full administrative control over your device — root access.

A user with root access can easily bypass security features built into the operating system, read process memory or access restricted areas, such as the internal storage. Once an attacker has root access, any efforts to mitigate threats become futile. No application can be called safe under these circumstances, no matter how strong the encryption.

Secret Chats

Q: How are secret chats different?

Secret chats are meant for people who want more secrecy than the average fella. All messages in secret chats use end-to-end encryption. This means only you and the recipient can read those messages — nobody else can decipher them, including us here at Telegram (more on this here). On top of this, Messages cannot be forwarded from secret chats. And when you delete messages on your side of the conversation, the app on the other side of the secret chat will be ordered to delete them as well.

You can order your messages, photos, videos and files to self-destruct in a set amount of time after they have been read or opened by the recipient. The message will then disappear from both your and your friend's devices.

All secret chats in Telegram are device-specific and are not part of the Telegram cloud. This means you can only access messages in a secret chat from their device of origin. They are safe for as long as your device is safe in your pocket.

Q: How do I start a secret chat?

Open the profile of the user you want to contact. Tap on ‘…’, then ‘Start Secret Chat’.

Remember that Telegram secret chats are device-specific. If you start a secret chat with a friend on one of your devices, this chat will only be available on that device. If you log out, you will lose all your secret chats. You can create as many different secret chats with the same contact as you like.

Q: How do self-destructing messages work?

The Self-Destruct Timer is available for all messages in Secret Chats and for media in private cloud chats.

To set the timer, simply tap the clock icon (in the input field on iOS, top bar on Android), and then choose the desired time limit. The clock starts ticking the moment the message is displayed on the recipient's screen (gets two check marks). As soon as the time runs out, the message disappears from both devices. We will try to send a notification if a screenshot is taken.

Please note that the timer in Secret Chats only applies to messages that were sent after the timer was set. It has no effect on earlier messages.

Q: Can I be certain that my conversation partner doesn't take a screenshot?

Unfortunately, there is no bulletproof way of detecting screenshots on certain systems (most notably, some Android and Windows Phone devices). We will make every effort to alert you about screenshots taken in your Secret Chats, but it may still be possible to bypass such notifications and take screenshots silently. We advise to share sensitive information only with people you trust. After all, nobody can stop a person from taking a picture of their screen with a different device or an old school camera.

Q: What is this 'Encryption Key' thing?

When a secret chat is created, the participating devices exchange encryption keys using the so-called Diffie-Hellman key exchange. After the secure end-to-end connection has been established, we generate a picture that visualizes the encryption key for your chat. You can then compare this image with the one your friend has — if the two images are the same, you can be sure that the secret chat is secure, and no man-in-the-middle attack can succeed.

Newer versions of Telegram apps will show a larger picture along with a textual representation of the key (this is not the key itself, of course!) when both participants are using an updated app.

Always compare visualizations using a channel that is known to be secure — it's safest if you do this in person, in an offline meeting with the conversation partner.

Q: Why not just make all chats 'secret'?

All Telegram messages are always securely encrypted. Messages in Secret Chats use client-client encryption, while Cloud Chats use client-server/server-client encryption and are stored encrypted in the Telegram Cloud (more here). This enables your cloud messages to be both secure and immediately accessible from any of your devices – even if you lose your device altogether.

The problem of restoring access to your chat history on a newly connected device (e.g. when you lose your phone) does not have an elegant solution in the end-to-end encryption paradigm. At the same time, reliable backups are an essential feature for any mass-market messenger. To solve this problem, some applications (like Whatsapp and Viber) allow decryptable backups that put their users' privacy at risk – even if they do not enable backups themselves. Other apps ignore the need for backups altogether and leave their users vulnerable to data loss.

We opted for a third approach by offering two distinct types of chats. Telegram disables default system backups and provides all users with an integrated security-focused backup solution in the form of Cloud Chats. Meanwhile, the separate entity of Secret Chats gives you full control over the data you do not want to be stored.

This allows Telegram to be widely adopted in broad circles, not just by activists and dissidents, so that the simple fact of using Telegram does not mark users as targets for heightened surveillance in certain countries. We are convinced that the separation of conversations into Cloud and Secret chats represents the most secure solution currently possible for a massively popular messaging application.

See also: Why Telegram isn't End-to-End Encrypted “by Default”

Your Account

Q: Who can see my phone number?

On Telegram, you can send messages in private chats and groups without making your phone number visible. By default, your number is only visible to people who you've added to your address book as contacts. You can further modify this in Settings > Privacy and Security > Phone Number.

Note that people will always see your number if they know it already and saved it in their address book.

Q: I have a new phone number, what do I do?

Each phone number is a separate account on Telegram. You have several options if you are using multiple phone numbers:

• If you will no longer use the old number (e.g., you moved to a new country or changed your number for good), simply go to Settings and change the number connected to your Telegram account to the new number. Important: make sure you have access to your connected phone number – otherwise you risk losing access to your account.
• If you will use the new number for a limited time (e.g., you're on a trip or vacation), there's no need to do anything.
• If you want to keep using both numbers (e.g., you have a work phone and personal phone), choose one as your Telegram number. You may create another Telegram account on the second number as well, for example, if you want to keep work and personal chats separated. It is possible to log in to one Telegram app with up to 3 different accounts at once.

Q: How do I log out?

Most users don't need to log out of Telegram:

• You can use Telegram on many devices at the same time. Just use the same phone number to log in on all devices.
• You can go to Settings > Data and Storage > Storage Usage> Clear cache to free up space on your device without logging out.
• If you use Telegram with multiple phone numbers, you can switch between accounts without logging out.
• If you use Telegram on a shared device, you can set up a passcode in Settings > Privacy and Security to make sure only you have access to your account.

If you do want to log out for some reason, here's how you do that:

iOS: Go to Settings > Edit > Log out.
Android, Telegram Desktop: Go to Settings > … (in the top right corner) > Log out.

If you log out, you will keep all your cloud messages. However, you will lose all your Secret Chats and all messages inside those secret chats when you log out.

Note that logging out does not trigger remote deletion of your secret chat messages on your partner's device — to do that, choose 'Clear History' first.

Q: How do I change my phone number?

You can change your number in Telegram and keep everything, including all your contacts, messages, and media from the Telegram cloud, as well as all your Secret Chats on all devices.

To change your number, go to Settings, then tap on your phone number (just above the username), then 'Change Number'. If you already have a different Telegram account on the target number, you'll need to delete that account first.

Q: How do I delete my account?

If you would like to delete your account, you can do this on the deactivation page. Deleting your account permanently removes all your messages and contacts. All groups and channels that you've created are orphaned and left without a creator but admins retain their rights.

This action must be confirmed via your Telegram account and cannot be undone.

We recommend using a non-mobile browser for this process.
Note that you'll receive the code via Telegram, not SMS.

Q: What happens if I delete my account?

As was just mentioned above, all your data will be flushed from our system: all messages, groups, and contacts associated with your account will be deleted. That said, your contacts will still be able to chat in the groups that you have created, and they will still have their copy of the messages you sent them. So if you want to send messages that can vanish without a trace, try using our self-destruct timer instead.

Termination of a Telegram account is irreversible. If you sign up again, you will appear as a new user and will not get your history, contacts or groups back. People, who have your phone number in their contacts, will be notified. The new user will be displayed as a separate conversation in their messages list and their conversation history with this new user will be empty.

Q: How does account self-destruction work?

Telegram is not a commercial organization, and we value our disk space greatly. If you stop using Telegram and don't come online for at least six months, your account will be deleted along with all messages, media, contacts and every other piece of data you store in the Telegram cloud. You can change the exact period after which your inactive account will self-destruct in Settings.

Q: My phone was stolen, what do I do?

First of all, sorry about your phone. Unfortunately, the phone number is the only way for us to identify a Telegram user at the moment. We don't collect additional information about you, so whoever has the number, has the account. This means we can't help you unless you have access either to the phone number or to Telegram itself on any of your devices.

I have access to Telegram on another device

1. Go to Telegram Settings > Privacy and Security and turn on Two-Step Verification. This way the phone number alone will not be enough to log in to your account.
2. Go to Settings > Devices (or Privacy & Security > Active Sessions) and terminate your Telegram session on the old device. Whoever has your phone will not be able to log in again, since they don't know your password.
3. Contact your phone provider, so that they block your old SIM and issue a new one with your number.
4. If you decide to switch to a new phone number, don't forget to go to Settings, tap on your phone number and change your Telegram number to the new one.

I don't have access to Telegram on any other devices

1. First and foremost, you need to contact your phone provider, so that they block your old SIM and issue a new one with your number.
2. Wait till you receive your new SIM with the old number, log in to Telegram, then go to Settings > Devices (or Privacy & Security > Active Sessions) and terminate your Telegram session on the old device.

Removing sensitive data

Common thieves usually throw out the SIM card immediately (the phone is harder to locate this way), then wipe the devices and sell them, so there isn't much risk for the data in case of regular petty theft. But if you have reasons to worry about the data on the device and are unable to log out the other device, it is best that you wipe it remotely. You can read more about it here: Apple iOS, Android. Unfortunately, this requires you to have prepared in advance for this scenario.

You can delete your Telegram account if you are logged in on at least one of your other devices (mobile or desktop). Note that inactive Telegram accounts self-destruct automatically after a period of time — 6 months being the default setting.

Bots

If you're a developer, you may find our Bots FAQ more useful.

Q: What are bots?

Bots are like small programs that run right inside Telegram. They are made by third-party developers using the Telegram Bot API.

Q: How do I create a bot?

Creating Telegram bots is super-easy, but you will need at least some skills in computer programming. If you're sure you're up to it, our Introduction for Developers is a good place to start.

Unfortunately, there are no out-of-the-box ways to create a working bot if you are not a developer. But we're sure you'll soon find plenty of bots created by other people to play with.

Q: A bot is sending me messages, how do I make it stop?

If you don't want a bot to send you messages, feel free to block it – same as you would block a human user. Some Telegram clients have a 'Stop Bot' button right in the bot's profile.

That said, most bot developers offer commands that silence the bot, check its /help for clues.

Q: Are bots safe?

Yes. Bots are no different from human users that you meet in groups for example. They can see your public name, username, and profile pictures, and they can see messages you send to them, that's it. They can't access your last seen status and don't see your phone number (unless you decide to give it to them yourself).

Naturally, any bot should be treated as a stranger — don't give them your passwords, Telegram codes or bank account numbers, even if they ask nicely. Also, be careful when opening files sent by bots, same as you would deal with ordinary humans. Example: If a bot sent us a file called OpenMe.exe, we probably wouldn't open it.

Q: If I add a bot to my group, can it read my messages?

Bots can work in two modes when you add them to groups. By default, bots only see messages that are meant for them. In this case, you'll see 'has no access to messages' in the group members list next to the bot.

Some bots need more information to work, so developers may disable the privacy mode. In this case, the bot will see all messages sent to the group, and you will see 'has access to messages' in the members list next to the bot.

Learn more about privacy mode for bots »

If your group contains very sensitive information, maybe it's better to avoid adding bots you don't trust 100%.

Q: Are bots made by Telegram?

No. While we have some official bots for specific purposes (like @gif or @GDPRbot), we don't usually make bots. Bots are made by third-party developers using the Telegram Bot API and platform.

Q: Where can I find more bots?

There is no official store at the moment, so you'll have to ask your friends or search the web for now. We're pretty sure you'll find some bots to play with.

Deeper questions

Q: Can I get Telegram's server-side code?

All Telegram client apps are fully open source. We offer verifiable builds both for iOS and Android – this technology allows to independently verify that the application you download from the app stores was built using the exact same code that we publish.

By contrast, publishing the server code doesn’t provide security guarantees neither for Secret Chats nor for Cloud Chats. This is because – unlike with the client-side code – there’s no way to verify that the same code is run on the servers.

As for Secret Chats, you don’t need the server-side code to check their integrity – the point of end-to-end encryption is that it must be solid regardless of how the servers function.

In a post on his channel, Pavel Durov explained why Telegram hasn't published the server code, even as a publicity stunt.

The encryption and API used on Telegram's servers are fully documented and open for review by security experts. We welcome any comments at security@telegram.org

Q: Can I run Telegram using my own server?

Our architecture does not support federation yet. Telegram is a unified cloud service, so creating forks where two users might end up on two different Telegram clouds is unacceptable. To enable you to run your own Telegram server while retaining both speed and security is a task in itself. At the moment, we are undecided on whether or not Telegram should go in this direction.

Q: Can I use the Telegram API?

Yes. Developers for all platforms are welcome to use our protocol, API and even source code. Check out the Getting started section of the docs.

Don't forget about our Bot API that lets you build cool stuff on our platform.

Q: Do you have a Privacy Policy?

Sure. Check this out.

Q: What does the iOS privacy sheet mean?

Apple created privacy sheets to inform users about what data apps may collect, but information there is vague and can be misleading. You can see a detailed explanation of Telegram's sheet here.

Q: Why do you have two apps in the Mac App Store?

One is our app for macOS, the other is Telegram Lite, the macOS version of our multi-platform client. Both apps are official. Both started out as unofficial applications by two different developers and vary in design and functionality.

Telegram for macOS supports many platform-specific features, such as the MacBook Pro Touch Bar, gesture navigation, integration with the Mac's Share menu and more. It has every feature from the iOS version of the app including Secret Chats.

Telegram Lite is a lightning-fast app, optimized for work-related tasks and handling large communities. It offers a three-column interface, perfect for multitasking and quick access to media, files and links shared in your chats. This app can also be used to export your Telegram data and chats.

Q: Can I translate Telegram?

Telegram is officially available in English, Spanish, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Arabic, Portuguese, Korean, Malay, Russian and Ukrainian on most platforms, and we are gradually expanding the list of languages built into the apps.

If you don’t like how a specific element in Telegram's interface is translated in your language, or would like to help us maintain the translation, check out our localization platform. Everyone can suggest translations and vote for the best ones, making Telegram localization a community-driven effort.

If you're looking to go beyond suggestions for individual phrases and would like to help us maintain the official translation to your language on a continuous basis, you can contact @TelegramAuditions. Please include a hashtag with the English name of your language (e.g. #Albanian) and a few links to phrases on this platform with your translation suggestions or comments. Be sure read the Style Guide carefully before you apply.

Q: Can I help?

Yes, we are always looking for volunteers to help us with user support. If you would be interested in answering questions about Telegram to users from your country, contact our auditions account.

Before you apply, please check out the Telegram Support Initiative.

Passport

Telegram Passport is a unified authorization method for services that require personal identification. With Telegram Passport, you can upload your documents once, then instantly share your data with services that require real-world ID (finance, ICOs, etc.).

Your identity documents and personal data will be stored in the Telegram cloud using End-to-End Encryption. To Telegram, this data is just random gibberish, and we have no access to the information you store in your Telegram Passport. When you share data, it goes directly to the recipient.

You can find more information about Telegram Passport on our blog.

If you're a developer or owner of a service that requires real-life ID, kindly take a look at this manual. You can also try requesting Telegram Passport data using this page.

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Troubleshooting

Login and SMS

Please make sure you are entering your mobile phone number in the international format.
I.e.: +(country code)(city or carrier code)(your number)

If you are having registration or login problems, please contact us using this form.

Getting a code via a phone call

For security reasons, login codes dictated via a phone call are only available for accounts that have two-step verification enabled (Settings > Privacy & Security > Two-Step Verification).

Please also note that Telegram accounts can only be connected to a mobile number. We currently don't support landline numbers.

Getting a code via Telegram

If you have recently used one of our apps on another device (it could also be a different app on the same device), we may send the login code via Telegram instead of SMS.

To receive such a code, just check Telegram from any of your connected devices. You will find it in the chat with Telegram, a verified profile with a blue check:

Login code sent via Telegram

WARNING! Please note that getting codes via Telegram should not be considered an alternative to using an up-to-date phone number. In case of a change in numbers, always make sure Telegram is connected to a phone number you control, otherwise you risk losing access to your account forever.

Notification problems

If the tips below don't help, check out this detailed guide on Troubleshooting Notification Issues.

ANDROID

1. Go to Telegram Settings — Notifications and Sounds, make sure that notifications are ON and Importance is set to “High” or greater.
2. Check whether contact or group is muted.
3. Make sure Google Play Services are installed on your phone.
4. Check notification priority for Telegram in Android settings, it can be called Importance or Behaviour depending on your device.
5. If your phone uses some battery saving software, make sure that Telegram is whitelisted in that application.

NOTE: Huawei and Xiaomi devices have evil task killer services that interfere with the Telegram notification service. For our notifications to work, you need to add Telegram to allowed apps in those devices' security settings. Huawei: Phone Manager App > Protected Apps > Add Telegram to the list. Xiaomi: Services > Security > Permissions > Autostart, find Telegram and enable autostart.

iOS

1. Go to Telegram Settings — Notifications and Sounds, make sure that notifications are ON in Telegram.
2. Check that notifications are ON in phone Settings.
3. Check, whether contact or group is muted.
4. Shut down Telegram (go to home screen, double tap home button, swipe upwards on Telegram), then go to phone settings, set the alert style for Telegram to NONE. Relaunch Telegram, go to phone settings, set alert style back to banners.

Problems with contacts

If you know your friends have Telegram, but you can't see them — or they appear as numbers instead of names.

Android:

1. Make sure you are using the latest version of the app.
2. Relaunch the app (by terminating it from processes list and launching again).
3. Temporarily change the name of the contact in phone contacts (add a few symbols, then change back again).
4. If that didn't help, re-login. Remember that logging out kills your Secret Chats.

iOS:

1. Force quit the app (double tap home button, then swipe up on Telegram), then relaunch and check if it helped.
2. If that doesn't help, temporarily change the name of the contact in phone contacts (add a few symbols, then change back again).
3. If that doesn’t work, re-login: Settings > Edit > Log Out. Remember that logging out kills all your Secret Chats. Then log in again.

Deleting contacts on Android

To delete a contact, open a chat with the person, tap the title in the top area of the chat screen to open their profile, then tap on (⋮) in the top right corner > 'Delete contact'.

If you want to delete the contact completely, make sure you also delete them from your phone contacts. Telegram stays in sync and will add the contact back if you don't.

Where did my Secret Chat messages go?

Secret Chats are established between the two devices they were created on. This means that all those messages are not available in the cloud and cannot be accessed on other devices.

Moreover, Secret Chats are also tied to your current login session on the device. If you log out and in again, you will lose all your Secret Chats.

Can't send messages to non-contacts

When users report unwanted messages from a Telegram account, we apply a limit: Reported accounts can only send messages to people who have their number saved as a contact.

This means that if you randomly contact people you don't know and send them annoying messages, you may lose the ability to do so in the future.

If you think that this limit was applied to your account wrongly, please visit this page.

Telegram uses the camera or microphone in the background!

Telegram can use the microphone in the background if you minimize the app when making a call, recording a video, or recording a voice/video message.

Permission monitors on Samsung and Xiaomi can inadvertently flag and notify you that Telegram requested access to camera in the background. This happens when the app requests info about the camera — it isn’t using the camera. Unfortunately it may look the same to the Samsung and Xiaomi permission monitors.

Camera info is requested by the app when you tap on the attachment button, or start recording a video or a video message. If you do this and quickly close the app, the already initiated request may try to run asynchronously when the app is already in the background, or be sent when the system wakes up the app to show a notification about a new message. In any case, these requests are only for the camera info, the app never uses the camera itself in the background.

Anyone can check Telegram’s open source code and confirm that the app is not doing anything behind their back. We also offer reproducible builds that can help you prove that the version you downloaded from App Store or Google Play is built from the exact same source code we publish.

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Telegram Support

If you have any other questions, please contact Telegram Support (in Telegram go to Settings — Ask a question). Note that we rely on volunteers for support.

If you can't log in to your account, please use this form.

For media requests, please contact @PressBot on Telegram.

Twitter?

Yep. Follow us! @telegram
Our twitter account in Spanish: @telegram_es
In Italian: @telegram_it
In Korean: @Telegram_kr
In German: @de_telegram
For users from Brazil: @Telegram_br
Our Arabic-speaking users may find @telegram_arabic more interesting.

@SmsTelegram, login help on Twitter

We have a special account that can help you with login problems, @smstelegram. This account is official. Don't be afraid to DM it the number you use for Telegram, we need this info to investigate issues.

Be careful, we don't have any other support accounts on any social media platforms.

Facebook or other platforms?

If anyone on Facebook or any other platform is telling you they're us, they are not.

India: designated grievance officer

For India, in case of public content which is not in accordance with the Updated Intermediary Policy, Mr Abhimanyu Yadav (abhimanyu@telegram.org) is the designated grievance officer.

Telegram Applications

Our apps are open source and support reproducible builds. This means that anyone can independently verify that our code on GitHub is the exact same code that was used to build the apps you download from App Store or Google Play. Developers are welcome to check out our Guide to Reproducible Builds for iOS and Android.

Mobile apps

• Telegram for Android
• Telegram for iPhone and iPad

You can also download the latest version of Telegram for Android from this channel.

Desktop apps

• Telegram for Windows/Mac/Linux
• Telegram for macOS

Web apps

• Telegram WebK
• Telegram WebZ

Telegram Database Library (TDLib)

• TDLib – a cross-platform client designed to facilitate creating custom apps on the Telegram platform.
• Telegram X for Android – a slick experimental Telegram client based on TDLib.

Unofficial apps

• Unigram, a client optimized for Windows 10 (based on TDLib) (desktop and Xbox One)
• Telegram CLI for Linux
• MadelineProto

Source code

For the moment we are focusing on open sourcing the things that allow developers to quickly build something using our API. We have published the code for our Android, iOS, web and desktop apps (Win, macOS and Linux) as well as the Telegram Database Library.

This code allows security researchers to fully evaluate our end-to-end encryption implementation. It is also possible to independently verify that Telegram apps available on Google Play and App Store are built using the same code that we publish on GitHub.

Telegram Database Library

Cross-platform library for building custom Telegram apps, see TDLib for details.
Licensed under Boost 1.0.
GitHub »

Telegram for Android

Official Android App, see Google Play Market page for full description.
Licensed under GNU GPL v. 2 or later.
GitHub »
Download APK File »

Telegram for iOS

Licensed under GNU GPL v. 2 or later.
GitHub »

Telegram for macOS

Native macOS client.
Licensed under GNU GPL v. 2.
GitHub »

Telegram for Web browsers

• Telegram Web, Version K. Mac, Windows, Linux, Mobile.
  Licensed under GNU GPL v. 3.
  GitHub »

• Telegram Web, Version Z. Mac, Windows, Linux, Mobile.
  Licensed under GNU GPL v. 3.
  GitHub »

• Legacy JavaScript client. Mac, Windows, Linux.
  Licensed under GNU GPL v. 3.
  GitHub »

Telegram React

JavaScript client for browsers. Mac, Windows, Linux.
Licensed under GNU GPL v. 3.
GitHub »

Telegram Desktop

Qt-based desktop client. Mac, Windows, Linux.
Licensed under GNU GPL v. 3.
GitHub »

Telegram for WP

Licensed under GNU GPL v. 2 or later.
GitHub »

Unofficial apps

Telegram CLI (Unofficial)

Linux Command-line interface for Telegram.
Licensed under GNU GPL v. 2.
GitHub »

Unigram (Unofficial)

A Telegram client optimized for Windows 10 (desktop and Xbox One).
Licensed under GNU GPL v. 3 or later.
GitHub »

MadelineProto (Unofficial)

A PHP MTProto Telegram client.
Licensed under GNU AGPL v. 3.
GitHub »

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Contact for security researchers

If you find any issues with Telegram apps and protocol, or have any questions about our implementation of security features, kindly contact us at security@telegram.org.