Is Telegram encrypted?

Only if you turn on Secret Chats, which you start by hand for each person. Ordinary chats, groups and your chat history sit on Telegram's servers, where Telegram holds the keys. Calls are end-to-end encrypted by default.

Checked on 25 October 2026 against 7 sources.

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TelegramTelegram

Who can read itPersonal accounts

MessagesOnly you, once you turn it onOnly Secret Chats are sealed: you start one by hand for each person, and it stays on the device where you started it.^{1, 2, 7}Turn it on
Group chatsTelegram can read itGroups are always ordinary cloud chats; no end-to-end encryption for group chats announced as of 25 October 2026.^{1, 2}
CallsOnly you and the people on the callOne-to-one calls and group calls of up to 200 people are sealed by default, but Telegram doesn't describe video chats held inside groups and channels as sealed.^{1, 4, 5}
BackupsTelegram can read itYour cloud chats are the backup, stored on Telegram's servers with keys Telegram holds; Secret Chats are never backed up.^{1, 2, 3}
Post-quantumNot yetNo post-quantum protection announced as of 25 October 2026.^{1, 6}

Who holds the keys: Telegram holds the keys for ordinary chats and groups; for Secret Chats and calls, only the devices in the conversation do.
What Telegram can still see: Everything in ordinary chats and groups, plus your phone number, any contacts you sync, your IP address and the devices and apps you use.

Checked on 25 Oct 2026Sources JSON Cite

Start a Secret Chat for private talks

Open your chat with the person and tap their name at the top to open their profile.
On iPhone, tap More › Start Secret Chat. On Android, tap the three dots at the top right › Start Secret Chat.
To check it, open the Secret Chat's info and compare the encryption key picture with the one on your friend's phone. If they match, nobody is in the middle.

Takes a few seconds, but you do it for each person. A Secret Chat lives only on the device where you started it, and you lose it if you log out. Groups can't be made secret.

Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.

Is Telegram end-to-end encrypted by default?

No. Ordinary Telegram chats, which Telegram calls cloud chats, are encrypted between your device and Telegram's servers, then stored there¹. Telegram keeps the keys in different data centres from the messages, but its own servers can still use them, as Telegram's founder has explained^{1, 3}. Telegram's privacy policy says it may use automated tools to scan messages in cloud chats for spam and phishing².

Only Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted. Telegram says only you and the other person can read them, and it doesn't store them on its servers^{1, 2}.

How do I start a Telegram Secret Chat, and where does it work?

Open the person's profile, tap More (the three dots), then Start Secret Chat¹. Secret Chats are only for two people. They stay on the device where you started them, don't sync to your other devices, and are deleted if you log out¹.

They work in the phone apps and in Telegram for macOS¹. Telegram Desktop, the other computer app, which runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, doesn't offer them: a request for Secret Chats there has been open on Telegram's own suggestions site since January 2021⁷.

Are Telegram calls end-to-end encrypted?

Yes. Telegram says one-to-one voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted^{1, 2}. Since 30 April 2025, group calls of up to 200 people are too, and everyone on the call can check it by comparing the four emoji on their screens⁴. Telegram says not even it can secretly join one of these calls to listen⁴.

Video chats held inside a group, and live streams in a channel, are a different kind of call. Telegram's developer documents describe only the newer group calls as end-to-end encrypted, and say video chats can be recorded on Telegram's servers⁵.

Can Telegram read my messages?

In ordinary chats and groups, yes, because Telegram holds the keys^{1, 3}. Its moderators can check messages that people report, and its privacy policy says it may give your IP address and phone number to authorities if a valid court order says you're a suspect in a crime².

In Secret Chats and calls, no. Telegram says those are encrypted with a key known only to the people talking, and that it has no way to decipher them².

How Telegram compares

Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.

SignalYes iMessageYes WhatsAppYes MessengerPartly TelegramOptional DiscordPartly Google MessagesPartly XOptional SnapchatPartly InstagramNo Text messages (SMS)No TikTokNo

Sources

Telegram FAQ, Telegram. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Telegram Privacy Policy, Telegram. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Why Isn't Telegram End-to-End Encrypted by Default?, Pavel Durov, Telegram. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Extra-Secure Group Calls, Automated Accounts, and More (30 April 2025), Telegram. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Group calls (API documentation), Telegram. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
End-to-End Encryption, Secret Chats, Telegram. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Secret Chats on Telegram Desktop (suggestion, opened 5 January 2021), Telegram Bugs and Suggestions. Read on 25 Oct 2026.

Changes to this answer

25 Oct 2026First published.