Moving Chat History from Other Apps

Moving Chat History from Other Apps and More Privacy

Over 100 million new users joined Telegram this January, seeking more privacy and freedom. But what about the messages and memories that remain in older apps?

Starting today, everyone can bring their chat history – including videos and documents – to Telegram from apps like WhatsApp, Line and KakaoTalk. This works both for individual chats and groups:

To move a chat from WhatsApp on iOS, open the Contact Info or Group Info page in WhatsApp, tap Export Chat, then choose Telegram in the Share menu.

On Android, open a WhatsApp chat, tap ⋮ > More > Export Chat, then choose Telegram in the Share menu:

WhatsApp for iOS also lets you export chats directly from the chat list. Swipe left on a chat, then choose '…' > Export Chat.

Messages will be imported into the current day but will also include their original timestamps. All members of the chat on Telegram will see the messages.

Move Chats and Save Space

The best part is that the messages and media you move don’t need to occupy extra space. Older apps make you store all data on your device – but Telegram can take up virtually no space while letting you access all your messages, photos and videos anytime you need them.

You can free up space and control your cache size in Settings > Data and Storage > Storage Usage.

Control Your Digital Footprint

Your data is your business, which is why Telegram users can not only export their chats, but also delete messages they send and receive for both sides – without a trace.

With this update, you get even more control: secret chats, groups you created and call history can now also be deleted for all sides at any time.

Telegram servers don’t store information about deleted chats and call logs, so the data will disappear completely, forever.

Improved Voice Chats

You can now see which of your groups have active Voice Chats from the top of the Call History page.

While in a voice chat you can adjust the volume of individual participants to manage microphone levels. Adjustments made by group admins are applied for all listeners.

Improved Audio Player

When a track is playing, tap the author name in the player to see their tracks from all your chats. If you need to skip ahead or repeat something you missed, press and hold on the Next and Previous buttons to fast-forward and rewind.

We’ve also added a fade effect to please your ears when you pause and resume the music.

Greeting stickers

If you have contacts who joined Telegram recently, it may be a nice touch to welcome them using one of Telegram's unique features. A greeting sticker will be suggested in your new chats, ready to send in one tap.

New Android Animations

A new update means sleek new interface animations. See if you can catch them all when downloading files, playing music, or loading chats after logging in.

Reporting Fake Channels

All Telegram apps let you report spam and other types of illegal content, including calls to violence or child abuse. Now you can also report fake channels or groups that impersonate famous people or organizations. Open their profile page and tap '…' > Report > Fake Account to let our moderators know.

Improved Accessibility

Many accessibility improvements have been added for both TalkBack and VoiceOver users. As we continue to refine app interfaces for all users, we welcome additional feedback on our Suggestions Platform.

A warm welcome to everyone who joined us recently! The next update shouldn’t take long.


January 28, 2021
The Telegram Team