Secret Chats are for conversations that need more secrecy than the default. Everything in them is end-to-end encrypted, so only you and the recipient can read the messages. Nobody else can, including Telegram.
What you get
- End-to-end encryption. The keys are generated by the two devices and never leave them.
- No forwarding. Messages cannot be forwarded out of a Secret Chat.
- Two-sided deletion. Deleting on your side instructs the other device to delete as well.
- Self-destruct timers. Set how long a message survives after it is read.
- A key you can verify. Each chat shows a key visualisation both sides can compare.
What you give up
| Cloud chat | Secret Chat |
|---|---|
| On every device | On the one device that created it |
| Survives a new phone | Lost when you log out or change device |
| Available on the web version | Not available there |
These are not limitations to be worked around. They are the same property described from the other side: nothing is stored anywhere, so there is nothing to restore.
Starting one
Open the person's profile, tap the menu, and choose Start Secret Chat. You can have as many separate Secret Chats with the same person as you like, and each one is independent.
Screenshot alerts exist but are not a guarantee. They can be bypassed on some systems, and no software can stop somebody photographing the screen with another camera.
Updated