Are you looking forward to taking a break from Telegram but not sure how to delete the account? Here are the basic things and procedures on how to go about it. If you are tired with the account, here is what you need to know.
Quick Answers：
- Permanently Delete Via the Telegram Deactivation Page
- Deleting Telegram Account by Self-Destruction Settings
Of late, Telegram has become popular among people of different ages around the world. This is a messaging social media platform that was incepted in 2013. The platform has gained massive active users who, up to today, total over 500 million. However, there are some challenges users are experiencing with the platform. For this reason, most people are switching to other social media platforms for good reason.
Though you might be among them and here seeking for solutions to take down your Telegram account, one thing you need to be aware of is that Telegram does not offer a one-click method deleting the account. The statement does not imply that it is impossible to delete a Telegram account or deactivate it.
Due to rising demand or the need to delete Telegram accounts online, we will cover everything you need to know in this article. For relevant reasons or personal reasons, you can also delete your Telegram account and join other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or WhatsApp. Keep reading along o get updated with the basic skills.
What Should You Notice Before Deleting Telegram Account?
Like other unique media platforms, when you want to delete your Telegram account, we highly recommend downloading all your data. This is one of the steps you need to consider. This is because it will be a perfect move when you change your mind and need the account back., It becomes easy to retrieve back the data.
Remember, when you have groups and channels, even after deleting your Telegram account, all these will still be operational. Any admin you have will regain control, and in case there is no other admin in the group, then Telegram will assign the duty to the random user in the channel or group.
Also, you must note that, after deleting the account, you are permitted to create the account using the same number for a while. You will also be unable to revive the Telegram account for a while. However, you can download your data, export the contacts, chats, etc., before you delete the Telegram account. This is only possible when you are using the desktop Telegram software.
After that, here is how to download your Telegram data:-
Step 1: Open the Telegram application or software on the desktop.
Step 2: Then tap on the 3 horizontal lines which are found at the top left corner
Step 3: After that, head to the settings section
Step 4: Click on advanced from the popup menu
Step 5: Then select and tap on export Telegram data
Step 6: After that, pick export
You will have to be patient for the application to export your data. Immediately after it is done, you can delete your Telegram account. This leads us to the next section on how to go about it.
How to Delete Telegram Account
Permanently Delete Via the Telegram Deactivation Page
As opposed to other social media platforms that do have any simple method to delete the account, Telegram does not have the option under the settings menu. Therefore, for you to be able to delete the account, you need to navigate to the Telegram deactivation page and follow the prompts. Still, after deactivation, the platform does not permit you to use the same number while registering a new account for a few days.
Additionally, Telegram has limited the option for deleting the account because o the spam-related activities as well as it does not remove the ban once done. Otherwise, with the proper procedure, everything else becomes simple, as illustrated below:
Step 1: Head to the Telegram Deactivation Page. since the app does not have the option to delete the account through the settings, you need to click on the above link that is only applicable on the desktop.
Step 2: Then type in the number linked to your account and click next. Then you will be promp[ted to enter the country based on the phone number you are using, enter the country code, then click sign in.
Step 3: Telegram will send you a verification code to your phone number via the app, not the regular message. At this point, you should be able to access your account and the chats. Get the code, enter it and then click sign in to proceed.
Step 4: Then, from the options, tap on delete account.
Step 5: You will have three options. So, proceed by clicking the delete account link again. This option is the second one down.
Step 6: Again, tap on the delete my account icon. Then the platform will seek to know why you have decided to leave the venue. You can as You leave the box blank. To avoid confusion, it is good to inform the contacts which whom you frequently chat about leaving the platform.
Step 7: Then make sure you confirm the option by clicking the red confirmation icon to proceed to delete the account. But tap on the green icon when you have changed your mind and need to access your account.
Step 8: Otherwise, you can now check if the account has been deleted. Then exit on the popup menu, where you should be able to see the green box on your screen, which indicates that the Telegram account has been deleted successfully.
Deleting Telegram Account by Self-Destruction Settings
This is one of the efficient and flexible methods to delete a Telegram account. This is because it applies to iOS and Android devices, hence self-destruction. After all, you are leaving an account for self-destruction.
Telegram is so advanced, and part of the features it comes with is self-destruction when it senses a particular time inactive. The default period set by the platform is 6 months. This indicates that when you leave your Telegram idle for 6 months without logging in, then it will automatically be deleted, and you will not be in a position to retrieve your chats.
This will feature active on all the accounts. No one can disable it. However, you can adjust the time frame, which ranges from one month to 12 months. one of the best methods is to set the Telegram self-destruction to one month, then be patient. Once the time elapses, you can then proceed to uninstall the application.
But when you do not know how to go about with this option, here is the procedure:
Step 1: Launch the Telegram application on your devices and ensure you are logged in to the account.
Step 2: Then head to the settings section.
Step 3: Then, navigate through and locate privacy and security on the options
Step 4: Then scroll to the option where it states, ‘ delete my account and tap on it
Step 5: Locate the ‘ if away for' on the menu and tap on it.
Step 6: Then set the preferred period and for the shortest time is 1 month. Therefore, the account will self-destruct if you remain inactive for one month. If you need the fastest method, refer to our first method in the above section.
What Should You Notice After Deleting Telegram Account?
Before you can delete your Telegram account, you might have a privacy concern at hand or need to know what happened. in this section; we will list for you almost everything you will notice once you delete your Telegram account:
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Loose Telegram Contacts
Once you delete the account, you will realize that all the Telegram contacts from the contact list will as well be deleted for good. So, this is why we encourage you to have the contacts before you move ahead with deleting the account. Regardless of the person, you need to save the contact as you might need to connect again in the future or use a different social media platform.
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Telegram Groups and Channels Will Not be Deleted
If you have created a Telegram channel or group, you must be aware that even if you delete the account, the groups or channels will still be operational. Only you will no longer be available to access the group chats.
Hence, if you do not have any other group admin left, Telegram will randomly select the person from the group member. After that, your chats and messages will also be deleted from the account but remain available in the group.
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Group Mesages Remains
One thing you must also have in mind is that, upon deactivating the Telegram account, the group messages will always remain in the group. Private chat in the group will tend to stay, but it will indicate that the account that sends the message does not exist on the platform. This is the same case as when you have deleted a discord server.
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Phone Number Restrictions
Telegram will not allow you to register a new Telegram account with the same number for a few days. Immediately you delete the account, then be patient and take time before creating a new account. Otherwise, you will not be able to verify the account with the same number.
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Message Data Will be Deleted from the Device
When you use the permanent delete option. All the messages on the mobile application on your device will also be deleted. This involves all the chats, and once done, you won't recover them in any way forever.
Why Do People Want to Delete Their Telegram Account?
Telegrams' skyrocketing popularity has decreased lately compared to the inception period. Most people are shifting to other social media platforms for reasons. Some of these reasons as discussed below:
- Lack of end-to-end encryption by default
Though Telegrams come with many advanced and unique features, some people have still criticized the platform that it does not offer end-to-end encryption by default setting. Instead, to have access to such features, one must advocate the secrete chat to access such a security level. Still, other claims raised are that the application depends on the relatively unknown type of encryption which is MTProto, instead of the well-known type.
- Telegram data collection behavior.
Telegram collects and stores the metadata from the users' devices, which lasts for one year to offer the sake of providing the service and their legitimate interest. Hence, it goes ahead to access personal details such as the username, name, email address, contact list, phone number, and location where appropriate.
They also store other private data like messages, media content, and documents. Although they claim they never intend to share the data collected, in June 2022, the platform shared the information from the users to the German police for the court cases concerning the child about and terrorism.
- Extremist and conspiracy theorists
Because of the approach the platform gives to the]ir content moderation, the platform has grown to become the best platform for holding meetings with right-wing extremists as well as conspiracy theorists. While other social media platforms fight to stop the spread of irrelevant information, such as during the inception of covid 19, Telegram remained fertile to the group, allowing the growth of extremist ideologies on the internet.
The research carried out by the Institute for the Strategic Dialogue in 2021 noticed that the far-right group spread the conspiracy theory about COVID-19 through Telegram so that they could recruit and radicalize new teams.
- Malware and prone to hacker
In 2017, Telegram started experiencing security issues where there was a report on the leak of metadata and hackers' access. Thus it becomes easy for hackers to spread the virus to the desktop using Telegram. Hence many people have shifted to considering Telegrams as an unsafe platform for their security.
- Extreme freedom deleting messages
On Telegram, anyone can delete the message of a chat even without permission from the author. Hence, Telegram participants have limited control even over their conversations which can easily facilitate chat manipulations because anyone can remove the chat content from your thread.
How to Enhance Telegram Online Security?
Since we have learned that Telegram is not a safe social media platform anymore, your privacy on the platform hence becomes paramount. This is because, when you register a Telegram account, you are providing the platform that your personal phone number of which you are exposing it to the Sim-Swap Attack. and still, the end-to-end encryption on Telegram is only enabled as a default setting on the secret chat section alone.
Secret chat is also protected with an advanced extra layer of client-to-client security, and you are in chat. Thus, it is stored separately, not on the Telegrams server. Hence you can only access such secrete chat with only the original device.
This is where we recommend you to use the relevant premium VPNs to keep your device secure with extra sharp security. Thus, VPN can help prevent any potential data breach. For instance, NordVPN is effective in masking your local IP address so that no one can locate you on the map or identify you and your location. Thus leaving the spying eye frustrated all along the way through their struggle.
Conclusion
Telegram is a social media platform whose popularity has been diminishing lately. Because of the security concerns and many more issues we have covered in our article, many people are shifting from this platform and joining other social media sites. However, when it comes to deleting Telegram accounts, the platform does not have any one-click method to delete the account like other social media platforms.
But, there are a few methods we have covered in our article which are efficient. But before deleting the Telegram account, ensure you have downloaded your data. If you are satisfied with the platform, enhance your security with relevant premium VPNs to mask your local IP address and prevent data leaks.
