The privacy-focused Telegram may no be the most mainstream messaging app out there, but still it has seen some major growth.
During Facebook's outage, for example, Telegram gained three million new users in less than 24 hours.
With more and more people are becoming more aware of surveillance and privacy issues tech companies are continuously experiencing, encrypted messaging is one of the few ways for them to communicate while avoiding unwanted third-parties from snooping into their conversations.
To make its service even more convenient, Telegram version 5.5 (or 1.6.2 on desktop) adds some features which are aimed at giving users more control over how they use the service.
First of all, it highlights an unlimited 'unsend' feature for private chats and anonymous forwarding.
When Telegram first introduced this feature, users were only able to remove messages they've sent within the last 48 hours from both devices.
To further protect user's privacy, Telegram starts allowing users to delete any message, not matter how old, in a one-on-one chat, and have it be removed from both the sender and recipient's device.
The changelog:
- Delete any message on both ends in any private chat, anytime.
- New privacy settings for message forwarding and profile pictures.
- Redesigned panel for Emoji, GIFs and Stickers with new search.
- Emoji suggestions for the first word you type in a message.
- Streaming support for GIFs and video messages.
- Search in Settings.
- TalkBack support.
- Improved call quality.
While the notable additions are minimal, but they are indeed crucial.
For example, the unlimited unsend feature can come in handy, as it allows users to take back any messages they've sent, or even those they've received. Users can also delete a whole chat altogether with a few taps.
To use this feature, users just need to tap and hold a message until the 'Delete' option appears.
Clicking on this option will pop up a notification that asks whether the user wants to delete the message for from his/her own chat or on both devices.
"Today, we are giving hundreds of millions of users complete control of any private conversation they have ever had," wrote Telegram in a blog post. "You can now choose to delete any message you have sent or received from both sides in any private chat. The messages will disappear for both you and the other person – without leaving a trace."
Then there is the message forwarding feature, for further privacy, that adds anonymous sending.
This essentially strips the link back to the original account profile of a forwarded message. This removes any verifiable method that shows a forwarded message came from a particular account.
This way, recipients of the forwarded message will only see an unclickable name, meaning that, as Telegram describes it, "people you chat with will have no verifiable proof you ever sent them anything."
And for last, there are also improvements in other sectors, like the search in settings, a better emoji and GIF panel, and the ability to show a list of related emojis based on what users are typing.
Let's not forget the full TalkBack support that allows users to navigate the app without even seeing the screen. This particular one is a plus as it improves accessibility.