Telegram: 2-factor authentication how-to
Created as an alternative to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, Telegram is a social network that has been growing exponentially with groups and communities of different themes. Currently, more than 700 million people use the application, and you’ve probably already registered on the network. But, is your profile protected? In this article, we will show you how to do 2-factor authentication on Telegram.
What is Telegram?
Telegram is a Russian social network whose purpose is instant messaging. Through the App, users can send text messages, audio, videos, photos, stickers, and much more. In addition, you can also make video calls and much more. The service has a mobile and desktop version. The platform is compatible with Windows, MacOS, and Linux, but can also be used directly in the browser.
The App grows every day, gaining new users and becoming one of WhatsApp’s biggest competitors. One of its main differentials is the creation of groups of up to 20,000 members, which favors the creation of large communities with varied purposes. Currently, the platform is widely used as a marketing strategy to generate connections between brands and their users.
In addition, it is also very common to create groups for studies and work, and groups for discussions of varied content such as series, movies, books, and other subjects. Another advantage of Telegram is sending files of unlimited size over the network.
Registration is done by phone number. After providing this data, the social network verifies the number, giving access to the App and displaying the contacts already registered on the platform.
Security on Telegram
A big highlight of Telegram is its security. Made with end-to-end encryption, the network prevents messages sent by the user from being intercepted by anyone.
Another feature that ensures user privacy is secret chats. In these conversations, participants can configure the platform to delete messages a few seconds after sending them. This happens because secret chats use end-to-end encryption, which only allows access to the conversation from the participants’ devices, being inaccessible to third parties, including Telegram developers.
In addition, Telegram has a cloud storage technology, which causes messages to be stored on an encrypted server, not on users’ devices. Therefore, the platform gives even more privacy to its members.
The commitment not to disclose data to third parties is also one of the differentials that make the social network a safe platform for its users.
Why enable 2-factor authentication?
After reading about so many advantages that guarantee Telegram security, you must be wondering if it is really necessary to perform actions such as activating 2-factor verification.
The truth is that, as much as platforms take care of data security and privacy, we are still susceptible to scams and cyber attacks. That’s why it’s important that we protect our account information at all times.
2-factor authentication is a feature that consists of linking your access to a second factor, which can be an email, SMS, PIN, biometrics, secret answers, or other means. In this way, when logging in, the platform sends an access request with a numeric code through the path chosen for authentication.
This makes third-party access difficult since it is unlikely that other people would have access to both access information simultaneously. Next, we’ll teach you how to activate 2-factor authentication on Telegram.
How to activate 2-factor authentication on Telegram?
To activate 2-factor authentication on Telegram, just click on the settings tab, select the “Privacy and Security” option, and then click on “Two-Step Verification“.
This setting will direct you to register an additional password that will be requested after the code sent by SMS that is requested whenever you log in on a new device. Then just create the password and confirm it to complete the authentication.
More privacy settings on Telegram
In addition to 2-factor authentication, you can perform some other actions to increase your security on the social network. Next, we will show some of these configurations.
Password and Touch ID
This feature activates a lock password on chats, and to access them, you need to enter the password again. If you forget your password, you will need to reinstall the App and log in again.
Auto delete messages
In this function, you can program Telegram to automatically delete all your conversations after a specific period that can be suggested by the platform or customized by the user.
Hide data
To increase your privacy on the network, you can define who can view your phone number, the time of your last access, and your profile picture. You can choose to hide or show this data for everyone or restrict the information to just your contacts.
You can also define who can call you or forward links to your account. This last function is very useful because it avoids links from untrustworthy sites. In addition, the user can also choose whether third parties can add him to groups or channels, avoiding unwanted content.
Telegram also offers the option to restrict the sending of voice messages, but this feature is only available for Premium subscribers.
Final Tips
The platform offers many possibilities to guarantee safe and scam-free access to the user. Despite this, it is not necessary to make use of all the resources simultaneously. Ideally, you should be able to identify the functions that best suit your needs in order to optimize your access.
Did you find out how to do 2-factor authentication on Telegram?
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