There might be plenty of reasons to end your ties with Telegram, whether you want to do so for privacy reasons or simply because you don’t use it as much as you used to. This article focuses on showing you a detailed step-by-step guide for you to delete your Telegram account.
Telegram is popular, but not everyone prefers it because of its emphasis on privacy. With so many similar apps, it can be challenging to track conversations across platforms. There are, however, two ways to leave Telegram if you’ve decided to do so. You can read on to learn how to delete your account completely.
Why Would You Delete Your Telegram Account?
Despite Telegram’s impressive set of features, the app is not perfect. Hence, You might want to deactivate or delete your Telegram account for the following reasons:
1. Lack Of End-To-End Encryption:
Unlike other messaging Apps, Telegram does not provide end-to-end encryption by default. If required, users have to enable a SecretChat option for privacy purposes. This has been a cause of concern for many Telegram users because other popular messaging apps like WhatsApp offer end-to-end encryption on the chats.
2. Telegram Policies:
It has also been rumored that Telegram hosts channels where you can download new movies or tracks illegally and for free. This can lead you to decide to delete Telegram.
3. Telegram’s User Data Collection:
Telegram usually collects personal information from the users, including their Name, Phone Number, e-mail address, contacts, and location data, and might store them for over a year. It also keeps chat messages, documents, photos, and videos that have been shared.
Even though they claim the stored data is encrypted, users might be uncomfortable sharing their personal information and choose to Delete Telegram.
How To Delete Telegram Account?
The steps needed to Delete Telegram Permanently differ for PC, Android, and iOS.
1. For Android And iOS:
The deletion process is the same for both Android and iOS users. However, Telegram mobile users will have to wait for a specific period until their account gets deleted by the account self-destruction process by Telegram. You can follow the steps given below to delete Telegram on your Mobile device:
- Open Your Telegram App.
- Go to the Settings option after clicking on the hamburger menu visible in the top left corner of the App.
3. Choose the Privacy and Security option.
4. Scroll down to find the ‘If Away for’ option.
5. Choose your preferred period from the list available in the drop-down menu. You will choose 1, 3. 6, and 12 months.
After setting the period, you must log out of Telegram and leave your account idle for the chosen period. This will lead to the self-destruction of your account after the period and will delete your Telegram account permanently.
2. For PC:
Unlike the option to self-destruct your account in the Privacy Settings of the Telegram App, you will not be able to find that option when it comes to Telegram Desktop. However, Instead of waiting for a certain period until your account gets deleted, you can Permanently Delete Telegram in minutes by following the steps mentioned below:
- Go to the Telegram Account Deletion site.
- Enter your phone number and country code in the box, then proceed to the next step.
3. You will have received a Telegram Message with the Confirmation Code on your Telegram Desktop App.
4. Open your Telegram App and view the Message by Telegram to Get your code.
5. copy the code received and paste it into the Account deletion page in the space available.
6. Click on the Sign In option. Further, click on the Delete Account option from the list of choices available.
7. You will be asked to enter your Phone Number again. Also, you can enter your Reason for leaving if you wish to, although it is optional.
8. Then click on the ‘Delete My Account’ option.
9. You will be asked for a final confirmation of the deletion. Click on ‘Yes’ to Delete Telegram permanently.
Note that you will not be able to recover your account or any data from your account once you proceed with the final confirmation of the deletion.
How To Backup Your Data Before Account Deletion?
Since deleting your account will make it impossible for you to recover it, and you might lose important documents or photos and videos, storing a backup of your data on Telegram is highly recommended. Note that this is possible only through the Telegram desktop app.
You can follow the steps below to create and store a backup of your data:
- Click on the Hamburger Menu and go to Settings.
- From the list of options in Settings, click on Advanced.
3. In the Advanced Settings, scroll down and click on the Export Telegram Data option.
4. Select which data you need to export and choose the format in which you want your data to be stored (HTML or JSON). Then click on the Export option to proceed with retrieving your Telegram data.
You will have the backup of your data stored on your device.
Frequently Asked Questions:
No. Uninstalling the App will not delete your Telegram account permanently unless you have enabled Self-destruction and set a period for the same. All the data including your messages and chats, are stored on Telegram and will be backed up once you reinstall the App and Log In to your Account.
Your Telegram account will be deleted permanently, and you will be left with no option to recover it. You’ll lose everything if you don’t save your media and chat messages elsewhere. As a result, it is better to save a backup to have your data stored safely.
If you have Deleted Telegram, your Account username will be changed to ‘Deleted Account’ and your profile picture will be changed to an animated Ghost Logo to indicate that the user’s account no longer exists. Also, your status will be changed to ‘Last seen a long time ago’.
Conclusion:
Millions of people prefer Telegram over WhatsApp, other messaging apps, and popular messaging services. However, if you wish to take a permanent break and delete Telegram, this article is for you!
Ensure you have found an alternative messaging service and safely stored a backup of your Telegram data before you delete your account. You won’t be able to recover it once it gets deleted. We hope that the process of deleting your account and storing a backup has been clear to you through this article.
Hello, I’m Sreelakshmi, a content enthusiast with 6 years of experience. I’m dedicated to addressing critical issues within OTT content through insightful articles, using my words to spark discussions and provide clarity.
