Updated 2 November 2026
Telegram is convenient, but out of the box it’s more open than most people expect: by default, your phone number, photo and last-seen time are visible to a wider circle than you’d like. Here are seven changes worth making straight away.
1. Who can see your phone number
In Settings, open Privacy and Security and set phone number visibility to „Nobody”. Nothing changes for contacts who already have your number, but strangers will no longer see it.
2. When you were last online
Your last-seen time gives away your daily routine. You can hide it completely or show it to contacts only. Worth knowing: if you hide yours, you won’t see other people’s either.
3. Profile photo
Profile photos are often used to create fake accounts in your name. It’s worth showing yours to contacts only.
4. Who can add you to groups
By default, anyone can add you to a group. Limit it to your contacts and most of the spam and scam groups disappear.
5. Secret chats
Regular Telegram chats are encrypted between you and the server, but not end to end. For anything truly sensitive, use a secret chat: it’s tied to a specific device and isn’t synced.
6. Two-step verification
This is the most important point. Without it, your account can be taken over by anyone with access to your SMS messages. Set a separate password: without it, nobody can sign in to your account on a new device.
7. Active sessions
Check which devices your account is signed in on and log out the ones you don’t recognise or no longer have. Old phones and other people’s computers often linger there.
8. Calls and forwarded messages
Two more settings worth changing in the same Privacy and Security section.
- Calls: allow contacts only. Under „Peer-to-peer”, it’s worth choosing „Nobody”: calls then go through Telegram’s servers and the other person can’t see your IP address.
- Forwarded messages: limit to contacts. That way, when your message is forwarded, it won’t link back to your profile.
9. Passcode lock
A separate PIN for the app itself, with auto-lock after one to five minutes. Useful if you sometimes hand your phone to a child or leave it on the table. Where possible, turn on fingerprint unlock too.
Auto-deleting messages
You can set a timer on chats so messages are deleted on both phones after the set time. Handy for sensitive matters, but don’t overestimate it: the other person can take a screenshot. Telegram only notifies you about screenshots in some cases.
Why scammers love Telegram
The app is full of bots and channels, and creating an account is very easy. Typical scams: „you’ve won a prize, confirm your account”, fake crypto channels, fake tech support, and the „please vote for my daughter in a competition” request, where the link leads to a page asking you to sign in to Telegram, and that’s how your account is taken over.
A simple rule: no service will ever ask for your login code. If someone asks for it, they are trying to take over your account.
What settings won’t do
They won’t protect you from a link you click yourself. Phishing links in messages work the same way in every app, and for that you need protection on the phone itself. More on our Android and iPhone pages.
Settings only close part of the risk: links in messages are stopped by protection on the phone itself. For a single phone, Kaspersky Standard is enough, and if you also want a VPN for public networks and a password vault, both are included in the Plus plan.