Telegram Code Sent to the App on Your Other Device

What the screen means

You type your number on a new phone or computer, and instead of an SMS you get a screen like this:

It means your number already has a logged-in Telegram somewhere: another phone, a tablet, a computer, or the web version in a browser. Telegram sends the code there, as a message, because that is quicker and more reliable than an SMS. There is no text message to wait for.

Find the code on the other device

On the device where you are already logged in, open your chat list. The code comes in the official chat from Telegram, which has a blue check next to its name. Depending on the app it is called Telegram or Telegram Notifications.

1. Open that chat. In the chat list the code is hidden; it shows once the chat is open.
2. Read the newest message that starts with the login code.
3. Type those digits into the code box on the new device. Do not copy an older code; only the newest one works.

If the other device is a computer, the same chat is in Telegram Desktop or on the web version, near the top of the list because it just got a message.

A code you did not ask for

If a login code turns up while you were not trying to log in anywhere, someone has typed your phone number on their own device. They cannot get in without that code, so the code is all that stands between them and your account.

• Do not share it, whatever the reason given: a "mistaken" message, a prize, a delivery, a friend in trouble.
• Turn on Two-Step Verification so that a code alone is never enough. The login checklist links to the setup.
• If you already shared it, open Devices (or Active sessions in Telegram Desktop) on your phone at once and end any session you do not recognise. Checking active sessions shows where.

No other device to hand

If the logged-in device is lost, switched off, or at home, you can still get a code another way:

1. On the code screen, tap Didn't get the code? In Telegram Desktop the link reads Send code via SMS.
2. Choose Tap to get a code via SMS. If a countdown is shown, the SMS option opens when it reaches zero.
3. If your account has a login email, the code may go to that inbox instead. See adding a login email.

Do not tap the resend options over and over. Repeated requests can lock you out for a while, and then you are waiting longer than if you had asked once. 'Too many attempts' explains the wait.

After you log in

Once the new device is in, your other devices get a notice in the same Telegram chat that someone logged in from a new device, with the device name and approximate location. Check that it matches the device in your hand. If it names a device you do not recognise, treat it as a break-in: see spotting a fake login alert to tell a real notice from a phishing copy, then end that session.

If the code still does not show up anywhere, go back to a code that is not arriving. Next step: getting the code by phone call.